Yoshinori Jake Yamashita

Yoshinori “Jake” Yamashita, Chairperson since April 2023, has been leading Ricoh’s global transformation. Ricoh’s broad, global portfolio of digital services offerings enable Ricoh to be the digital transformation partner of choice for customers across the globe. He also empowers employees to be ESG Advocates by motivating them and inspiring their creativity, which is where Ricoh’s Mission & Vision, which we have dubbed ‘Fulfilment through Work’ comes in based on Ricoh founding principles, the Spirit of Three Loves “Love your neighbor” “Love your country” “Love your work”.

Mr. Yamashita joined Ricoh in 1980. Throughout his 43-year career with Ricoh, he held numerous positions within production, supply chain management and general management. He spent 10 years overseas culminating in his appointment as President of Ricoh Electronics, Inc. in America. He was General Manager, Corporate Planning Division, responsible for Ricoh’s corporate strategy and the development of Ricoh’s 18th Mid-term Management plan. Immediately prior to being appointed as President & CEO, he was General Manager of the Business Solutions Group.

Mr. Yamashita became President & CEO in April 2017 with mounting management challenges which led him to formulate Ricoh Resurgent strategy. He spent the first year working on reforms to strengthen the management underpinnings, such as structural reforms in the printing business and reorganizing the Group’s overall businesses. Ricoh Ignite mid-term management plan, which began the following fiscal year, steered the company toward digital service business as a new revenue stream, made investments, and further strengthened the management underpinnings for that purpose. With Ricoh’s digital services in place, he accelerated investment in growth under the most recent mid-term management plan, Ricoh Lift Off. In the six-year period, he pushed through reforms despite harsh business climate, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions. Mr. Yamashita and employees came together to complete the corporate reform. As a result, Ricoh has become a company that can swiftly respond to changes in the business environment, and Mr. Yamashita passed the torch to Akira Oyama, current President & CEO in April 1, 2023.

His passion to effect positive change has been driving Ricoh’s sustainability journey. In 2018, Mr. Yamashita gave a keynote speech at the Opening Ceremony of Climate Week in New York, where he set out Ricoh’s ambitious environmental targets and committed Ricoh to supporting a world where nobody is left behind. In 2019, he joined Business for Inclusive Growth (B4IG), a coalition with the OECD to drive inclusivity for business growth, as a member with 34 other global CEOs, and in 2020, Ricoh joined the 30% Club in Japan to drive greater diversity inside Ricoh. In 2021, he was appointed as co-chair of the Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership, to realize a decarbonized society.