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| Rose Chojnacki, chief financial officer of Hitachi Canada |
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After 34 years with the company, Hitachi Chief Financial Officer Rose Chojnacki feels right at home in the Japanese giant’s headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario.
The length of her stay has not only given Chojnacki a familiarity with the company’s operations but also nurtured a clear attachment to Hitachi and much pride in her colleagues.
‘‘We have a terrific team here. The people truly make the company,’’ says Chojnacki, who oversees the budget for Hitachi’s three main divisions — digital media, power and industry, and optical.
Recently, Hitachi sold its first MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) equipment to a medical company in the province of Alberta, which led the company in a new and exciting direction.
‘‘It’s great to see more diversity in our product line, and there’s definitely room for growth in this area,’’ she says.
But plasma screens remain Hitachi’s most popular product and a strong component of its brand identity.
‘‘We have been in the plasma business for more than 10 years. The strength of our brand lies in our reputation for producing high-end, leading-edge products that simply don’t die,’’ says Chojnacki, who believes that Hitachi’s strong dedication to customer service gives the company its competitive edge.
‘‘If they’re pleased, the rest falls into place,’’ she adds. Growth for Hitachi Canada is predicted to reach an all-time high in 2007 as the company kicks off major projects in the power-generation and medical industries.
Chojnacki recalls her first visit to Japan and the way she was received by Hitachi employees during her stay.
‘‘At a time when women in high management positions were unheard of in Japan, they went out of their way to make me feel welcome,’’ she recalls.
‘‘I can honestly say that this company has an abundance of integrity and offers myriad opportunities to its employees. As long as you give your heart, you’ll get much more in return,’’ she also says.
www.hitachi.ca
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