PROFILE

Akihiro Kobayashi was born in 1971 in Takarazuka City, Hyogo. In 1994 he joined Tokyo Kao Hanbai Co., Ltd. (currently Kao Group Customer Marketing Co., Ltd.). In 1998 he joined Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. After taking charge of the manufacturing, marketing, and international business divisions and becoming the general manager of domestic businesses, he was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer in 2013. He has promoted the improvement of the company’s new product development capabilities as well as international business expansion. He has also strived to establish the Kobayashi-style human resource development method, which supports the employees’ growth through dialogues with them.

Mr. Kobayashi graduated from Keio University (Faculty of Economics) in 1994 and received an MBA from Michigan State University in 2001. His field of expertise is consumer research.