Organizing Board >> Biography

Mr. Kobayashi is former Chairman of the Board at Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd., and serves on the boards of Callaway Golf Company and American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC). He is also the Pacific Asia Chairman of the Trilateral Commission, Chairman of the Aspen Institute Japan, Chairman of International University of Japan as well as being a Life-time Trustee of Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives).

Mr. Kobayashi graduated with a BA from Keio University (Tokyo) in 1956 and then an MBA from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, University of Pennsylvania. In 1984, he was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from St. Peter’s College in New Jersey and in 1988 was the first recipient of the Morton H. Meyerson Award for Distinguished Service to Higher Education and International Understanding from the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, he was awarded the Medal with Blue Ribbon from the Japanese government in 1991, the Insignia of Commander First Class of the Royal Order of the Polar Star from the Kingdom of Sweden in 1995 and the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit from the Kingdom of Norway in 1997. In 2001, he received Honorary Doctorate from Xi’an Jiaotong Univeristy in Xi’an, and in 2003, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science (honoris causa) from Mapúa Institute of Technology in Manila.

In 1958, Mr. Kobayashi joined Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., from where he was assigned to Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. in 1963. He joined the Board of Directors in 1968, became Executive Vice President in 1976 and then President and C.E.O. in 1978. He served as Chairman and C.E.O. from 1992, Chairman of the Board from March 1999, became Chief Corporate Advisor in April 2006, and retired from that position in March 2009.

Mr. Kobayashi is also a member of the Board of Trustees at Keio University.