Michael Christopher Woodford

Biography Woodford was born in Staffordshire, but moved from Lichfield to Liverpool with his mother when he was seven after his parents divorced. Woodford attended King David High School, Liverpool.

On 30 September 2011, Woodford was appointed chief executive officer of Olympus Corporation, after 30 years of working for the group, while Kikukawa remained as chairman of the board. He was the first non-Japanese person to be appointed as the company's CEO,

Upon becoming CEO, Woodford discovered that hundreds of millions of dollars had been transferred from Olympus to advisers and companies located in places such as the Cayman Islands. After attempting to seek answers as to why the questionable transactions took place, he was dismissed from his position as president and CEO on 14 October 2011, although he retained his seat on the board of directors. As a result of Woodford's ousting, board chairman Kikukawa reassumed the titles of president and CEO but resigned these positions on 26 October 2011 and was succeeded by Shuichi Takayama. in April 2012) are defendants to a lawsuit.

Fearing for his safety after his dismissal, Woodford immediately left Japan and flew to England. After arrival in London, he offered to speak to investigators. He returned to Tokyo on 23 November and later met with investigators and, under police escort, Olympus personnel.

On 30 November 2011, Woodford resigned from the Olympus board but said that he had an "alternative plan" to manage the company by staging a proxy fight. However, it has been reported that Woodford was rejected by Olympus's institutional investors because they were "uncomfortable with the Englishman's combative style and also his plans to recapitalise the company through private equity or a rights issue". On 6 January 2012, on failing to secure support from Japanese institutional shareholders, Woodford announced that he would abandon his proxy fight to take control of the Olympus board. Instead, his lawyers had initiated legal proceedings in London seeking unspecified damages for dismissal from his four-year contract. Woodford said that the 12-week public scandal had taken an enormous emotional toll on him and his family: "I’m not superman. I can’t change opinion in Japan in such a profound way. That has to come from within."

In April 2012, Woodford made a final visit to Tokyo to make a personal inquiry into corruption at the Olympus shareholders meeting. The board of directors refused to answer his questions, after which they were reproved by Japanese institutional investors. Woodford also was able to meet with the anonymous whistleblower whose tip had resulted in the Facta investigation. In June 2012, Woodford was awarded £10 million in an out-of-court settlement with Olympus over his dismissal. A film was reportedly also underway. Freedom of the Borough of Southend-on-Sea, 2003 Sunday Times Businessperson of the Year 2011 The Independent Businessperson of the Year 2011