Monday, 31 October 2011

Olympus chief resigns, shares surge

Olympus chief resigns, shares surge: Olympus chief resigns, shares surge

Shares in Olympus have risen after its CEO, Tsuyoshi Kikukawa resigned from his job on Wednesday in a bid to restore confidence in the company.

It's been a rough couple of weeks for Olympus, which fired Michael Woodford, its former CEO, less than two weeks into the role. Although it initially claimed that the firing was due to a "culture clash", Woodford very publicly claimed that it was down to his questioning a $687 million advisory fee paid in relation to a takeover in 2008.

Since then, Olympus shares plummeted by around 50% since the sacking, but yesterday rose by 13% as Kikukawa stepped down.

Pressure had been mounting on the firm to disclose more information about the money deals, with top shareholders calling for an investigation.

Investigations

Japan's Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission has been looking into the company since as far back as August, while Woodford sent details to the Serious Fraud Office in London.

Critics of the company say that the Olympus scandal is indicative of a deep-seated weakness in Japanese management styles.

Woodford has also been talking to the FBI about his claims, and has identified the advisory firms involved in the takeover as being based in New York and the Cayman Islands.

The new President of Olympus has been named at Shuichi Takayama, who has denied any wrongdoing at the company and has been there since 1970.

Keep following for more updates on the Olympus story as it happens.


Source: Google Reader

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