Professor Yoshihiro Kawai
Professor Yoshihiro Kawai is Chairman of OECD Insurance and Private Pension Committee, Advisor to Commissioner, Financial Services Agency, Government of Japan, Chairman of Global Asia Insurance Partnership, and Member of International Advisory Council, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission. He is also Professor of Kyoto University and Tokyo University.
He held the position of Secretary General of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) since June 2003 until November 2017. He joined the IAIS in 1998 as Deputy Secretary General and was instrumental in the fast and dynamic growth of the Association. During his IAIS duties, Professor Kawai was also an active IAIS representative to the Financial Stability Board (formerly Financial Stability Forum) from 1999 until November 2017.
Professor Kawai’s professional career began with Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance Co and the Ministry of Labour, Tokyo. He later served on the Secretariat for the OECD Insurance Committee in Paris for 4 years. From 1995 until 1998, he acted as Advisor to the Minister of Finance and the President of the Insurance Supervisory Authority in Warsaw.
Professor Kawai earned his PhD in 2000 from City University, London, with his thesis on The reform of insurance supervisory systems for economies in transition. His PhD was preceded by a BA in Education and Sociology from the University of Tokyo and a MBA with a specialisation in Economics and Finance from INSEAD.
In his free time, he is a keen tennis player and marathon runner.
