Singapore – Hitachi Vantara, the data storage, infrastructure and hybrid cloud management arm of Hitachi Ltd., has announced that Akinobu Shimada will assume the role of chief executive officer from 1 April 2026. He will succeed Sheila Rohra, current CEO of Hitachi Vantara, who is stepping down from the position on 31 March 2026 for personal reasons.
The leadership transition will see Akinobu take responsibility for global operations while continuing to hold his position as president of Hitachi Vantara Japan. He has spent more than three decades within the Hitachi group, working across strategic planning, technical direction and product development linked to storage systems and related hardware and software technologies.
“In recent years, as customers face increasingly complex and mission–critical data management challenges, expectations for trusted data infrastructure—and for Hitachi Vantara in particular—have continued to grow across industries,” Akinobu commented.
“By growing together with our teams and uniting the insight, expertise, and passion of our people across the globe, I am committed to building the world’s most trusted data infrastructure and delivering meaningful value to our customers and their most critical initiatives.”
This change of leadership highlights Sheila’s journey at Hitachi Vantara that began in February 2023 after more than two decades in senior positions across the technology sector.
During her tenure, the company strengthened its strategic direction and focused on expanding its data infrastructure portfolio. The organisation reported improved profitability alongside revenue growth while advancing developments in enterprise storage and digital infrastructure.
“I am incredibly proud of the meaningful progress we have made in strengthening our data infrastructure portfolio and delivering trusted, high-value solutions to customers around the globe,” Shiela shared.
“As I step into my next chapter, I have full confidence that Shimada-san’s leadership and vision will propel Hitachi Vantara into its next phase of growth, helping clients build the resilient, trusted data foundation essential for AI and mission–critical workloads.”
The new appointment for Akinobu comes as demand continues to increase for secure and reliable data infrastructure to support artificial intelligence workloads and complex enterprise applications. Within the broader Hitachi group, the leadership change forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen global digital capabilities and expand international growth across its technology businesses.
Most recently, Akinobu served as global executive and head of the company’s Japanese operations, where he contributed to the development of its data infrastructure services business with storage technologies at its centre.
His career has been closely associated with the evolution of Hitachi’s storage portfolio, including initiatives aimed at strengthening reliability and resilience in mission-critical systems while advancing data management capabilities for enterprise customers.
