Canon Virginia CEO retires after 41 years

Toru Nishizawa, president and CEO of Newport News-based Canon Virginia Inc. and Canon Environmental Technologies Inc., retired June 1 after 41 years with the multinational corporation known for its optical and imaging products such as lenses, cameras and scanners.

Canon has tapped Shingo Shigeta as his successor.

Nishizawa, who is returning home to Japan for his retirement, joined Canon after graduating Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1980.

After five years with Canon, Nishizawa was assigned to Canon Giessen in Germany and held leadership roles in Europe and Japan. Canon U.S.A. Inc. named him president and CEO of Canon Virginia in April 2012. The company credits him with transforming its Newport News facility into a regional technical headquarters for Canon U.S.A. Inc.

Nishizawa oversaw a 900,000-square-foot expansion of manufacturing, developed a research and development function and expanded into the aerospace and medical industries, Canon said in its announcement.

Canon Virginia, which has operated in Newport News for more than 35 years, manufactures new products and serves as a repair and refurbishment center. It is Canon’s largest manufacturing, engineering, recycling and technical support center in the Americas.