Yazaki Corporation rewarded for excellence in family business

IMD-Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch Distinguished Family Business Award ceremony, Berlin, September 21, 2007

(L to R): Ko Yazaki, General Manager, Logistics Division, Yazaki; Yasuhiko Yazaki, Chairman of Yazaki; Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-president, Chopard; Peter Lorange, IMD President; Thierry Lombard, Senior Partner, Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch.

The 12th annual IMD - Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch Distinguished Family Business Award has been conferred on the Japanese family business, Yazaki Corporation, in recognition for their “outstanding success in blending family and business interests and their exemplary responsibility to their employees and society”.

The award was presented during at an official ceremony on September 21, 2007 in Berlin during the Family Business Network Summit event. The presentation was made by Thierry Lombard, a Senior Partner of Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch & Cie, Professor Peter Lorange, President of IMD, and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele Co-President of Chopard.

The award, which is considered one of the greatest honors for a business family and is generously donated by Chopard, testifies to the dedication, global approach, and pronounced values of the winning family in their business endeavors.

About the winner
Yazaki Corporation, headquartered at Minato-ku (Tokyo), is a worldwide manufacturer of a wide range of automotive-related products and environmental systems, with emphasis on energy-related equipment. It is a key player in the automotive industry and, with 30% global market-share, is the world’s largest producer of wire harnesses. It has 169 subsidiaries and offices in 39 countries.

Yazaki is a purely private and family-operated business. The Founder started the business in 1929. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Yasuhiko Yazaki, who took over the responsibility of heading the business at the age of 33, helped by his brother, Shinji Yazaki. For the past 30 years the two - who are now respectively Chairman and President - have led the company into the growth that made it a leader in its field. For FY 2005/06 (ended June 2006), the group registered worldwide sales of ¥ 1,271.2 billion, an increase of approximately 11 % year on the previous year.

Click here for more details on the award and its sponsors.