Roland Corp. names Jun-ichi Miki new president

Roland Corporation Japan announced today that Mr. Jun-ichi Miki will assume the role of president effective April 1, 2013.

Mr. Miki joined Roland Corporation in 1977 and began his dynamic career working in the production department of the tape echo and the rhythm machine facility in Osaka. During his lengthy tenure as a Roland engineer, Miki was deeply involved in developing many legendary Roland products such as the HP-2700 and FP-8 Digital Pianos, JV and XP series Synthesizers, SRX series Expansion Boards, C-30 Digital Harpsichord, and most recently the VR-09 V-Combo.

In 1994, after spending many years developing and engineering for Roland, Miki joined the Roland Corporation Board of Directors. Since then, Miki has supported and led numerous technical and product-development teams, including those responsible for overseas production facilities.

Leading the way forward, Miki’s rich R&D background and strong commitment to the market will help Roland continue to develop innovative new products while anticipating customer demands. With a firm understanding of the core philosophy of Roland, Miki will be leading the company into an exciting new phase while paying respect to the Roland tradition.

Mr. Miki said, “The Roland group of international sales and manufacturing companies is firmly tied to a fundamental philosophy. The entire Roland family strives to listen to the voices from the market and to inspire the enjoyment of creativity through the development of exciting new products and applications. Our goal is to be evermore valuable and inspiring to customers, the industry and society while staying true to Roland’s fundamental slogan, ‘We design the future.’”

Mr. Hidekazu Tanaka, Roland Corporation’s current president and CEO, will be supporting a strong and successful transition as a corporate advisor beginning April 1. During Mr. Tanaka’s eight-year presidential term, he accomplished many groundbreaking product introductions, such as the V-Piano Grand, and many remarkable marketing and sales solutions, such as the Shop-in-Shop concept. Mr. Tanaka’s passing of the torch is a continuation of Roland’s fundamental philosophy, showing a clear commitment to Roland’s future and to Mr. Miki’s leadership during the rebuilding process.