Akira Kono

Akira Kono is the executive vice president executive officer and chief financial officer of NYK Line. He is also a member of NYK’s board of directors. He was appointed to his current role on April 1, 2023. Kono joined NYK in 1984 and worked in the company’s Liner Division, Car Carrier Division, Corporate Planning Division, and Energy Division before transitioning to leadership of NYK’s Management Planning Headquarters and ESG Strategy Headquarters in 2023. He is currently the chief executive of NYK’s Management Planning Headquarters and the ESG Strategy Headquarters, which oversees the company’s Corporate Communication Group, IR Group, Corporate Planning Group, Group Management Promotion Group, Real Estate Development Group, Accounting Group, Finance Group, and Cruise Enterprise Group. He is also in charge of NYK’s Research Group, ESG Management Group, and Decarbonization Group. Throughout his career, Kono has steadily been promoted to positions of leadership within NYK. He became managing director of NYK LNG (Atlantic) Ltd. (currently known as NYK Energy Transport (Atlantic) Ltd.) in 2009, senior general manager of NYK’s LNG Group in 2012, NYK corporate officer in 2015, managing corporate officer in 2017, senior managing corporate officer in April 2020, senior managing executive officer in June 2020, and executive vice president executive officer and chief financial officer in 2023. Kono graduated from Waseda University with a bachelor’s degree in Law in March 1984, and he currently resides in Tokyo with his wife and daughter.