Konica Minolta Australia chairman and managing director Dr David Cooke has announced his resignation from the role after seven years at the helm and almost 15 years with the business.

Konica Minolta Australia has confirmed that Dr Cooke will remain in the company until mid-July to see out the Japanese financial year and facilitate a smooth transition with his successor.

A spokesperson for Konica Minolta confirmed to Sprinter that Dr Cooke is not retiring, but “would like to leverage his corporate experience to have an impact in the area of human rights and social justice”.

Taking over from Dr Cooke is a new managing director from Japan, Yohei Konaka, who will commence his responsibilities on April 1.

Konaka is currently in the office business planning division of Konica Minolta headquarters and has extensive experience in the business holding roles in both the US and Canada in his 19-year career with the company.

Dr Cooke was the first Australian to hold the top job at Konica Minolta. He stepped into the role on May 1, 2013, succeeding Hiro Kaji, who returned to Japan.

“As I am sure you can imagine I have very mixed feelings about leaving, with the greatest challenge being leaving behind the friends I have made during my nearly fifteen years at Konica Minolta,” Dr Cooke said.

“The choice of replacement however, gives me considerable confidence with regards to the future success of the company.

“I’m confident that Yohei will continue to build on the reputation Konica Minolta Australia has as a leader in areas such as human rights and ethical sourcing in line with the company strategy aimed at creating value for business, customers and society and meeting our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and delivering that into the future.”

Under Dr Cooke’s leadership, Konica Minolta Australia developed a reputation as a company that cares about its employees, customers and the community, and one that’s deeply committed to ethical leadership, creating societal value, and sustainability.

In 2018, Konica Minolta was awarded the Human Rights Award for Business by the Australian Human Rights Commission for the work the company has done to promote and support human rights within its business and supply chain.

Dr Cooke has also been instrumental in leading the company’s transformation and expanding on its core strengths of office and production printing to become an IT and technology business partner, providing innovative products such as 3D printing and robotics, as well as software and services solutions to a growing number of customers.

Last year, he was appointed to chair the inaugural Australian Human Rights Institute advisory committee at UNSW, which includes a group of eminent Australians who will help guide the research institute over three years.

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