Selling Japanese Food in the World: Gyoza and Beyond

Selling Japanese Food in the World:

Gyoza and Beyond

Thursday, February 23, 2023 | 12:30 – 1:30 PM (Lunch will be provided)

Room 640, Geffen Hall, Columbia Business School (Map)

(645 West 130th Street, New York, NY 10027)

Featuring:

Hiroshi Kaho

President and CEO

Ajinomoto Foods North America Inc.

Moderator:

Dr. Yumiko Shimabukuro

Faculty, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University; Co-Founder, Japanese Management Leadership Program, CJEB

Topics to be covered:

● Mr. Kaho’s career (in Japan, Hong Kong/China, France, and North America)

● Ajinomoto Global’s food strategy, focusing on Gyoza/Frozen foods

● Our strategy and vital issues in the North America food business

● Key challenges to working as a business leader in North America compared with experiences in China/Europe and Japan

About the Speaker:

Hiroshi Kaho is the President and CEO of Ajinomoto Foods North America. He has been a leader at the Ajinomoto group since 2002, building upon a career in the food industry lasting more than 30 years. He specializes in business, general management, strategy, sales, and marketing.

In his previous roles at Ajinomoto, He managed business strategy and development in Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, before assuming his current role as North American President and CEO in Ontario, California. As Senior Vice President of Ajinomoto Frozen Foods (Japan), he led $1 billion Japan frozen foods sales, marketing, R&D as well as joint venture production in Thailand and China. As Vice President of Ajinomoto Europe, he led M&A projects in Europe and Africa including the acquisition of a French frozen foods company. Before that, as General Manager of the M&A team at Ajinomoto’s headquarters in Tokyo, he successfully closed acquisitions of companies worth nearly $2 billion USD combined.

In his current role, he oversees all aspects of Ajinomoto’s $1 billion North American operation, including business strategy, production and supply chain, R&D, sales and marketing, and corporate functions.

He earned an MBA in general management from UCLA and a BA in Sociology from Hitotsubashi University. He is fluent in both Japanese and English and maintains a working knowledge of Chinese and French. In his free time, he enjoys running, traveling, cooking, reading, and tennis.

Admission and Contact:

You must register to attend this in-person-only event.

If you have questions about the event, please contact us at cjeb@gsb.columbia.edu.

Special Notes:

● Advance registration is required to attend this event.

● This in-person-only event is open to the public and will not be live streamed. Please note registration does not guarantee a seat.

● Please be advised that this event may be photographed, so your image may appear on our website or in CJEB materials later. If this is an issue, please let us know.

● Please note that due to current University guidelines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all visitors must have their primary series of COVID-19 vaccination and be prepared to show proof if asked.

For more information about other CJEB events, visit our website or contact cjeb@gsb.columbia.edu.