SDK and SDMC Nominate H. Takahashi as New President and CEO

TOKYO, Sep 22, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Denko (SDK; TSE:4004) announces that Kohei Morikawa will resign as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to become Representative Director and Chairman of the Board of SDK, and Hidehito Takahashi, Representative Director, Managing Corporate Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and General Manager, Preparation Office for Group Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of SDK will succeed Morikawa, effective January 4, 2022.

Mr Hidehito Takahashi

Takahashi is currently in charge of Carbon and Ceramics divisions, Coating Materials Department, Yokohama and Shiojiri plants and Corporate Strategy Department of SDK.

SDK also announces that at Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd. (SDMC), which is a consolidated subsidiary of SDK, Hisashi Maruyama will resign as President and CEO to become Representative Director and Chairman of the Board of SDMC, and that Hidehito Takahashi, Director of SDMC, will succeed Maruyama, effective January 4, 2022.

These changes in the presidencies have been decided at SDK's board of directors meeting today.

Through unification of the presidencies and generational changes in top management, SDK and SDMC aim to accelerate integration of the two companies and foster speedy management of the Showa Denko Group as a whole.

Hideo Ichikawa, who is currently Director, Chairman of the Board of SDK, will resign as Chairman of the Board on January 4, 2022. He will also resign as Director at the ordinary general meeting of shareholders in late March 2022, and assume the post of Advisor.

Biographical information on the new President and CEO Hidehito TAKAHASHI

Date of birth: July 21, 1962

Education: Graduated from the Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo in March, 1986

Professional CareerApr 1986 Joined The Mitsubishi Bank, Ltd. (current MUFG Bank, Ltd.)Feb 2002 General Manager, Business Development Department, GE Japan Holding CorporationOct 2004 Asia Pacific President, GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies, GE Japan Holding CorporationOct 2008 President and CEO, Silicones Business, Momentive Performance Materials Japan Inc.Jan 2013 President and CEO, GKN Driveline Japan plcOct 2015 Joined Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) as Senior Corporate FellowJan 2016 Corporate Officer and General Manager, Corporate Strategy DepartmentJan 2017 Managing Corporate OfficerMar 2017 Director and Managing Corporate OfficerJul 2017 Director and Managing Corporate Officer; General Manager, Carbon DivisionJan 2020 Director and Managing Corporate Officer; Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)Mar 2020 Representative Director; Managing Corporate Officer; CSOJun 2020 Representative Director; Managing Corporate Officer; CSOJun 2020 Director of Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd. (SDMC)Jul 2021 Representative Director; Managing Corporate Officer in charge of Carbon Division, Ceramics Division, Coating Materials Department, Yokohama Plant, Shiojiri Plant, and Corporate Strategy Department; CSOJul 2021 Director of SDMC

Number of SDK shares held by Takahashi: 7,600 (as of September 22, 2021)

About Showa Denko K.K.

Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; TSE:4004, ADR:SHWDY) is a major manufacturer of chemical products serving from heavy industry to computers and electronics. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial, high-performance and high-purity gases and chemicals for semicon and other industries, the Inorganics Sector provides ceramic products, such as alumina, abrasives, refractory/graphite electrodes and fine carbon products. The Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high bright LEDs, and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components. For more information, visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.

Contact:Showa Denko K.K., CSR & Corporate Communication Office, Tel: 81-3-5470-3235

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