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Canon U.S.A., Inc. has announced the appointment of Isao “Sammy” Kobayashi to the position of president and CEO, effective January 1, 2024. He succeeds Kazuto “Kevin” Ogawa, who will return to Japan for a new assignment following five years of service at Canon U.S.A., Inc., serving as president and CEO since April 2020.
Mr. Kobayashi began his career with Canon Inc. in 1990 in the photocopier sales division and progressed to Assistant Manager in the Canon U.S.A. inkjet printer group in 2005. After several promotions, he became a Vice President in the Imaging Technologies & Communications Group in 2020, overseeing the company’s consumer imaging products. In 2021, Mr. Kobayashi was chosen to serve as Vice President and General Manager of the new Hybrid-workplace Solutions Group (HSG), which was formed to address the increased demand for products and solutions needed for the hybrid workstyles that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2022, Mr. Kobayashi was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Manager of Canon U.S.A. and was appointed as an Executive Officer of Canon Inc., a title he still holds today. In January 2023, Mr. Kobayashi was named President and CEO of Canon Canada, where he served for one year.
“I am honored to take on this role as President and CEO of Canon U.S.A., Inc. and will do my best to continue the hard work of our employees, customers, channel partners, and other stakeholders that have made this company so successful,” Isao “Sammy” Kobayashi said. “I thank Mr. Ogawa for leading Canon U.S.A. through a period of great uncertainty and for his unwavering support. I fondly remember my time at Canon U.S.A. and look forward to returning and starting this new career chapter.”
Succeeding Mr. Kobayashi as President and CEO of Canon Canada will be Mikio Takagi, who will be moving from the head position at Canon Mexicana and Canon Panama, where he has served since 2018.
Akira Ikeda will serve as president and CEO of Canon Mexicana and Canon Panama after his role as Vice President of Canon Mexicana. Shohei Hizawa has been promoted to President and CEO of Canon do Brasil.
