Canon names a new CEO for its Melville-based Americas division

Canon Inc., the Japanese manufacturer of cameras, printers and health care equipment, has named a new CEO of its Americas division, which is based in Melville.

Isao “Sammy” Kobayashi was appointed president and CEO of Canon U.S.A. Inc., effective last Monday, the company announced on Thursday.

Kobayashi succeeds Kazuto “Kevin” Ogawa who is returning to Japan “for a new assignment” with the parent company, according to the announcement. He had led Canon U.S.A. since April 2020.

Kobayashi most recently served as president and CEO of Canon’s business in Canada, which is part of the Melville-based Americas division. He previously worked on Long Island as senior vice president and general manager of Canon U.S.A. He was in Canada for about one year.

“I fondly remember my time at Canon U.S.A. and look forward to returning and starting a new career chapter,” Kobayashi said in a statement. He pledged to “do my best to continue the hard work of our employees, customers, channel partners and other stakeholders that have made this company so successful.”

With 1,100 employees, Canon is among Long Island’s largest private-sector employers, though the company's workforce is considerably smaller than it was in 2018 when 1,659 people worked there.

Canon's five-story glass headquarters building is located south of the Long Island Expressway in Melville. It won preliminary approval last month for $7 million in tax breaks from Suffolk County after threatening to jettison the $500 million facility and have its employees work from home permanently.

Speaking to the county's Industrial Development Agency, Seymour Liebman — the company's executive vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel — said its business is increasingly focused on the health care industry as cellphones replace point-and-shoot cameras and remote work decreases the need for printers in offices. 

“The market has changed substantially” since Canon moved its headquarters from Lake Success to Melville in early 2013, he said.

“The global market for point-and-shoot cameras in 2009 was 96 million units and last year, it was six million units … We've decided to put a lot of money into the medical field,” Liebman said, to develop new products and to purchase Toshiba Medical, a manufacturer of imaging equipment.

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.