Masaaki Fujita is President & Chief Executive Officer of Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. (Mitsui USA), and serves concurrently as an Senior Executive Managing Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Americas Business Unit of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Mitsui USA’s parent company in Tokyo. Prior to his arrival in New York in April 2009, Mr. Fujita was Mitsui & Co.’s Executive Managing Officer and the Chief Operating Officer of its Foods & Retail Business Unit.

Mr. Fujita is a graduate of the Faculty of Commerce & Management of Hitotsubashi University. He joined Mitsui & Co., Ltd. in 1972 and has since built his career mainly in the Company’s sugar and fermented products business area, which involves global trade and investment activities.

Previously, Mr. Fujita served in overseas posts three times in: New York (1975-80) with Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.); London (1987-93) with Mitsui & Co.’s London Branch; and Bangkok (1997-2000) as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Mitsui & Co. (Thailand) Ltd. and of Mitsiam International Ltd., a full-service international trading and investment company.

In New York, Mr. Fujita will assume various external roles at a handful of civic organizations including: The Nippon Club, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York Philharmonic, International House, Partnership for New York City, among others.