- For Print
- April 15, 2014
Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Haruo Naito, “Eisai”) announced today that in recognition of his valuable contribution to relations between Britain and Japan, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ has appointed Dr. Haruo Naito, President & CEO of Eisai Co., Ltd. to be an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE).
The Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) award recognizes excellent achievement in a wide variety of fields and appreciates contributions to greater society, and is especially awarded to people who have left behind significant accomplishments, or people who have dedicated themselves to social services.
< Statement from the British Embassy >
Dr. Naito has continued to demonstrate steadfast commitment to the U.K. and Europe, acting as de facto figurehead for the British Government's campaign to attract investment from the Japanese life sciences industry. The most striking evidence of his championing of the U.K. is the £100 million investment in 2009 to build the European Knowledge Centre in Hatfield as Eisai's strategic base in Europe. Since then the company has further extended the British base to support its growing European, African and Middle Eastern business, and opened a new solid dose global manufacturing line for the anti-epileptic agent Fycompa® in Hatfield in 2012. The company also continues to conduct ground-breaking research and development in the U.K., including via its long-standing collaboration with University College London, with whom the company has an alliance to develop therapeutics for neurological disease.
< Comment from Dr. Naito >
It is a great honor to be appointed Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). Since Eisai established its first European office in London in 1988, we have built a strong relationship with the U.K. throughout the course of a quarter of a century. In 1990, Eisai established the Eisai London Research Laboratories at the University College London in the U.K., and has made many accomplishments through the exchange of knowledge and experience between leading scientists from the U.K. and Japan. In 2009, Eisai established the European Knowledge Centre, which integrates the company's European headquarters, research & development, production and marketing functions into one site, in Hatfield. Currently, it looks beyond Europe to the Middle East, Africa and Australia as well, and forms one of our primary global business units. Together with strengthening the positive mutual trust we have cultivated between Japan and the U.K. until now, we intend to take this honor as a further impetus to realize the creation of innovative new medicines based on Britain's world-leading life science infrastructure, and make an even greater contribution to global health and welfare.