Chief Operating Officer of the Pharmaceutical Segment, Member of the Board and Executive Officer
Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd.
Date of birth: August 21, 1954
Appointment as a director of Meiji Holdings: June 2014
Number of Meiji Holdings' shares held: 42,784 (as of May 31, 2024)
Daikichiro Kobayashi is in charge of the Meiji Group's entire pharmaceutical business as a chief operating officer. He also serves as president of Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd., and Chairman of KM Biologics Co., Ltd.
Daikichiro's career in the Group's pharmaceutical business spans over four decades. After joining Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd., in 1979, he built up practical expertise in marketing and strategic planning. In 2011, he was appointed as an executive officer of Meiji Seika Pharma, which was newly established in the same year as part of the Group's reorganization of its food and pharmaceutical businesses. In that role, Daikichiro was responsible for marketing the Group's wide lineup of pharmaceutical products, which include antibiotics, vaccines, and high-quality generic drugs supplied in every region of the world.
Having produced solid results, Daikichiro was appointed as president of Meiji Seika Pharma and as a director of Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd., in 2014. Since then, he has been leading initiatives to create growth opportunities in the generic drug market, strengthen the biopharmaceutical business, and expand operations globally. He is also focusing on efforts to improve infection preparedness and access to drugs under the Meiji Group 2026 Vision. Based on his extensive experience, Daikichiro was selected to oversee the Pharmaceutical Segment as COO in 2020.