Dec 02, 2011

Regional Politicians and Thought Leaders to Speak at the 11^th Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative

— Into its 11^th edition, the Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative demonstrates Hitachi’s commitment towards grooming young Asian leaders —

Bangkok, December 2, 2011 – Hitachi Asia Ltd. (NYSE: HIT / TSE:6501) today announced the confirmed list of speakers for the 11th Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI). The event, which will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam between 9 and 13 January 2012, will see the gathering of regional politicians and key thought leaders from the region.

Since its inauguration in Singapore in 1996, HYLI has been successful in bringing the best and brightest students in Asia together. Each year, four outstanding students below the age of 28 are chosen to represent their country for the programme. These students come from seven Asian countries namely Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Japan.

As a regional programme, HYLI aims to provide a platform for young Asians to gather and meet prominent Asian policymakers, professionals and commentators to discuss and share ideas on trends which affect Asia.

Mr. Toshiaki Kuzuoka, Senior Vice President and Executive Officer, Hitachi, Ltd. said, “The line-up of speakers for the 11th HYLI impresses with their prominence and standing in the Asian community. We are very heartened to receive such strong support from these leaders who share our belief in grooming Asian youths with strong leadership potential.”

“Cultivating our next generation leaders has always been at the top of Hitachi’s CSR agenda. While we provide these young leaders a conduit to gather and discuss on issues, it would not be possible without the endorsement from these great leaders of today,” Mr. Kuzuoka added.

Mr. Kiyoshi Kinugawa, Chief Executive and Chief Innovation Officer for Asia of Hitachi, Ltd. and Chairman of Hitachi Asia Ltd. said, “HYLI is a good opportunity for Asian young leaders to broaden their outlook on regional and global issues affecting Asia today as part of the process of their leadership development. We hope that the students will benefit from the insights which will be shared by these speakers from varied backgrounds.”

Themed The New Stage for Asia – an Asian Perspective on Managing Sustainable Development and Economic Integration, the two sub-themes that will be discussed are (1) Energy and the Environment (2) Economic Partnership and Integration. An impressive line-up of speakers will touch on these topics. From Thailand, M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, Governor, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will be speaking on Sustainable Transportation and Mobility.

Please refer to the programme highlights for the list of speakers and topics.

• Download Programme highlights (PDF Type, 33 kByte)

Response from students

Approximately 20 applications were received from five universities – Chulalongkorn University, Thammasat University, Kasetsart University, Chiang Mai University and Mahidol University.

All student applicants were put through a rigorous selection process based on their academic results, participation in extra-curricular activities, awards achieved, fluent in the English language and knowledge of current regional issues.

The final four students who stood out among all the outstanding applicants are

1. Ms. Preeyanut Tiankanon, Economics/ Advanced Economics, Quantitative, Finance, Chulalongkorn University
2. Mr. Pansak Chokchoaroj, Economics/ Economics and Finance, Chulalongkorn University
3. Mr. Paopatchara Kaewsarn, Commerce and Accountancy/ HR and Organisation Management, Thammasat University
4. Ms. Pondrhat Unphang, Political Science/ International Affairs, Thammasat University.

Ms. Preeyanut Tiankanon from Economics/ Advanced Economics, Quantitative, Finance of Chulalongkorn University said, “I am very grateful and excited to have the opportunity to represent the country. I hope to learn a lot from HYLI and apply these lessons in serving the country and I look forward to the chance to mingle and learn from these leaders from the region.”