The U.S.-Japan Business Council (USJBC) is
pleased to announce that Jean-Luc Butel, Executive Vice President &
Group President, International of Medtronic Inc., will serve as its new
Chairman. Mr. Butel succeeds Jeffrey Kindler, Chairman and CEO of
Pfizer, Inc. in this role.
Mr. Butel is a member of
Medtronic’s Executive Committee and has primary operating and strategic
responsibility for all international operations, including Japan. Prior
to assuming his current position in March 2008, Mr. Butel headed
Medtronic’s Asia-Pacific operations while based in Tokyo. USJBC
President James Fatheree notes, “We are fortunate to have someone with
Mr. Butel’s background at this time. His operating experience with
Medtronic and involvement in U.S.-Japan policy issues through his work
with the USJBC, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan’s (ACCJ)
medical devices committee, and other industry organizations provide a
unique combination of experience in Japan that will serve USJBC member
companies well.”
Alex Gorsky, Worldwide Chairman, Medical
Devices & Diagnostics and Member of the Executive Committee of the
Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, was named Vice Chairman of
the USJBC. Prior to assuming his current position in January 2009, Mr.
Gorsky was Company Group Chairman and Worldwide Franchise Chairman for
ETHICON (including Japan) and a member of the Surgical Care Group
Operating Committee at Johnson & Johnson. Mr. Gorsky began his
career with Johnson & Johnson in 1998 and has demonstrated success
in both international and domestic roles in the company’s
pharmaceuticals and medical devices businesses.
Charles D. Lake
II, Chairman of Aflac Japan, was named to the USJBC board. Mr. Lake has
led the USJBC’s work on U.S.-Japan economic integration in recent years
and has deep knowledge of the Japanese economy and bilateral economic
relations from his experience at Aflac, in private legal practice, and
as former director of Japan affairs for the Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative in the early 1990s. Mr. Lake is vice chairman of the
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, a director on the board of the
Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) and president emeritus of the American
Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
