News
KYOCERA Mita America Appoints CEO and New President and Chief Operating Officer
New CEO Tony Pater selects Mike Pietrunti as President and Chief Operating Officer
Fairfield, NJ –October 24, 2005 -Kyocera Mita America, one of the world’s leading document imaging companies, today announced the appointment of a new executive tandem. Tony Pater, currently president of KMA, has been appointed chief executive officer. Michael Pietrunti, now serving as KMA’s senior vice president of marketing and technical operations, has been named president and chief operating officer. Pater and Pietrunti will assume their new roles beginning November 1, 2005.
“Kyocera Mita America has been performing at a high level over the past several years and Mike Pietrunti has been a driving force behind that success. This is why I have made the decision to appoint him as our next president and chief operating officer,” said Tony Pater, chief executive officer, Kyocera Mita America. “Among the successes Mike has spearheaded include thoroughly re-engineering our corporate marketing strategy, including the implementation of a new e-learning initiative to support our growing dealer network and web based strategy designed to transform and improve the way we communicate with our dealers and end-user customers. Under Mike’s tenure, brand awareness has skyrocketed and Kyocera has carved out a reputation as an innovative and dependable technology leader. I believe Mike is the ideal person to lead Kyocera to the next level, and I am excited to work closely with him to help make that happen.”
Pater has been president of KMA since 2003 and has spent almost 30 years with KMA holding several key management positions. Tony has been responsible for many of the significant success at KMA during his tenure and has been the driving force behind the company’s double-digit sales growth for the past four years. Pietrunti joined KMA in 2002. Pietrunti brings a blend of direct and retail sales, marketing and technical experience to the office of president and COO, derived from more than 25 years of industry experience. Prior to KMA, Pietrunti spent 13 years at Sharp Electronics Corporation in a variety of senior management positions, including vice president of Sharp’s business products division. He joined Sharp from Monroe Systems where he spent eight years serving in numerous retail sales management roles.
During the past four years, Kyocera has greatly expanded its dealer network and introduced a suite of new products and document management technologies that have resulted in double-digit revenue and profitability growth in an otherwise flat market. KMA has also unveiled a comprehensive new branding campaign featuring the tagline “People Friendly: A whole new reason to smile,” promoting the idea that Kyocera’s advanced technology makes the business lives of customers simpler and more productive. This campaign has been the most successful in KMA’s history, having increased total brand awareness ten-fold since its inception in 2003.
“Kyocera Mita America has reached a key moment in its corporate history,” said Pater. “Our visibility is at an all-time high. We are entering 2006 with the confidence that our commitment to innovation and hard work will continue to pay dividends for everyone in the Kyocera value chain – our employees, our partners and our customers alike.”
About KYOCERA Mita America, Inc.
Kyocera Mita America, Inc. (www.kyoceramita.com/us), headquartered in Fairfield, N.J., is a leading provider of computer-connectable peripherals, including network-ready digital copiers/printers, laser printers, color copiers/printers, digital laser facsimiles, and multifunctional and wide format imaging solutions. Kyocera Mita America is a group company of Kyocera Corporation, the world’s leading developer and manufacturer of advanced ceramics and associated products, including telecommunications equipment, semiconductor packages and electronic components. Kyocera Mita America, the only document solutions company with third-party certified sales data, has earned numerous honors for its products’ high performance, reliability and cost efficiency. In 2005 alone, Kyocera Mita America earned the Industry Analyst award for the most reliable copiers and multifunctional printers (MFPs), BERTL’s Best Award for the most cost-efficient digital imaging product line, and BERTL’s Best Award in the category of Best Workflow Management Application for KYOcapture. Kyocera Corporation’s consolidated net revenues totaled $11 billion during the year ending on March 31, 2005.