MD Named for Geneon Universal Japan

TOKYO: Takeshi Harada has been named managing director of Geneon Universal Entertainment (GUE) in Japan, which is majority owned by Universal Pictures International Entertainment (UPIE), effective immediately.

UPIE acquired a 80.1-percent majority stake in Geneon Entertainment in 2008, with Dentsu retaining a 19.9-percent interest. Harada will lead the ongoing growth of the newly integrated GUE, UPIE’s second largest international operating company and a leading home entertainment distributor in Japan. Harada most recently ran his own media consulting company in Japan. He was previously managing director of Warner Home Video in Japan.

He takes over from Taichi Fukuda, who served as interim managing director after the purchase of Geneon Entertainment was announced in October 2008. Fukuda now assumes the role of chairman and officer of the board at GUE. In addition, as managing director and Japan representative at NBC Universal Japan, he will re-focus on leading strategic growth initiatives and synergy plans for the further expansion of NBC Universal’s businesses in Japan across the various divisions.