Short answers, pulled from the story.
Hiroyuki Ito developed the Active Time Battle system by 1991. Square filed a Japanese patent application for the system on the 16th of July 1991, followed by a US application on the 16th of March 1992.
Hiroyuki Ito worked as a debugger on the original Final Fantasy before he ever held the title of director. He began his career at Square in 1987 after graduating from Tokyo Zokei University and spent his early years debugging Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II.
The 1994 release of Final Fantasy VI marked the first time Hiroyuki Ito served as the director of a game. In this role, he took charge of all battle aspects to ensure that the narrative and mechanics worked in harmony.
The Active Time Battle system was inspired by Formula One racing after Hiroyuki Ito observed a race where cars passed each other. This observation became the basis for the battle system, dictating when it would be a character's turn based on their speed.
Hiroyuki Ito was appointed as the director of Final Fantasy XII in mid-2005 after Yasumi Matsuno left the company due to an illness. The game received the Grand Award and Award for Excellence at the CESA 2006 Japan Game Awards held on the 22nd of September 2006.
Tetsuya Nomura considers Hiroyuki Ito one of his four seniors at the company and a likely influence on his battle planning. Nomura also stated that he was taught the basics of game design by Hiroyuki Ito, highlighting the mentorship role Ito played within Square Enix.