President of Pokémon USA to Step Down

NEW YORK, December 12: Pokémon USA has announced that its president, Akira Chiba, will resign at the end of this year, to be replaced by Kenji Okubo, currently the executive VP and head of Pokémon USA’s Seattle office.

Chiba joined the company in 2002 when Pokémon USA’s New York office was established as the brand’s first corporate headquarters outside of Japan. Okubo will take up his new post as president of Pokémon USA on January 1, 2008. He will step in to manage Pokémon’s operations in New York, Seattle and London, and will oversee all Pokémon initiatives outside of Japan, including the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the long-running animated TV series, North American and European licensing and the recently launched Pokémon Trading Figure Game. Before joining Pokémon USA in 2004, Okubo worked at The Pokémon Company headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, as the director of international business.

“During Mr. Chiba’s tenure, Pokémon USA has greatly expanded,” said Okubo. “The brand is topping industry charts across all categories—including video games, toys, and trading card games—plus the Pokémon animated TV series is hugely successful on Cartoon Network. We thank Mr. Chiba for his efforts on behalf of Pokémon  and wish him success in the future.”

—By Kristin Brzoznowski