Yoshiaki Fujimori
About Yoshiaki Fujimori
Yoshiaki Fujimori, 74, has served as an independent director of Blaize Holdings, Inc. (BZAI) since January 2025, with a career spanning GE (25 years across multiple CEO roles), President & CEO of LIXIL Group (2011–2016), and multiple public company directorships. He holds a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tokyo and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon, where he serves on the Board of Trustees . The Board has determined he is independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| GE (Plastics, Healthcare Asia, Money Asia, GE Asia) | CEO roles | ~25 years (prior to 2011) | Multi-region operational leadership |
| LIXIL Group (Tokyo Stock Exchange listed) | President & CEO | 2011–2016 | Led large-cap global building materials company |
| Toshiba Corporation | Outside Director | 2019–2021 | Governance oversight at Japanese conglomerate |
| Shiseido Co., Ltd. | Outside Director | 2020–2022 | Consumer/beauty industry governance |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Start Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited | Outside Director | Jun 2016 | Global pharma board |
| Boston Scientific Corporation | Outside Director | Jul 2016 | Medtech board |
| Oracle Japan Corporation | Outside Director and Chairman | Aug 2018 | Tokyo-listed tech subsidiary |
| Corporate Support Research Institute Ltd. | Partner | Jul 2023 | Advisory role |
| CVC Capital Partners Asia Pacific Japan Ltd. | Senior Executive Advisor | Feb 2017 | Advisory to PE; outside director at CVC portfolio (Riraku, Torai, Sogo Medical, Macromill) |
| GENPACT Japan Ltd. | Senior Executive Advisor | Jan 2018 | Operations advisory |
| Deloitte-Tohmatsu Financial Advisory LLC | Senior Advisor | Oct 2020 | Financial advisory |
| DigitalBridge Group, Inc. | Senior Executive Advisor | Sep 2024 | Digital infrastructure investment platform |
| JTower (DigitalBridge portfolio) | Outside Director | Apr 2025 | Telecom infrastructure board |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Board of Trustees | N/A | Governance/education |
Board Governance
- Board independence: Majority independent; Fujimori is independent; only CEO (Dinakar Munagala) and Chair (Lane Bess) are non-independent .
- Committees: Board has Audit and Compensation Committees; Fujimori is not listed as a member or chair of either (Audit: Chair George de Urioste; members Edward Frank, Anthony Cannestra. Compensation: Chair Edward Frank; members Anthony Cannestra, George de Urioste) .
- Nominating: No nominating & governance committee; director nominations are made/recommended by a majority of independent directors per Nasdaq Rule 5605-6(e)(1) .
- Lead Independent Director: Dr. Edward H. Frank has served as Lead Independent Director since March 2025 .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors meet in executive session on a regularly scheduled basis .
- Attendance guidance: Directors expected to prepare for and attend Board/committee meetings; Board did not meet during fiscal 2024 as it was formed upon the January 13, 2025 Business Combination; no formal policy for Annual Meeting attendance (encouraged) .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual retainer (non-employee director) | $80,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears; pro-rated for partial quarters |
| Non-executive Chair additional retainer | $40,000 | Not applicable to Fujimori (he is not Chair) |
| Audit Committee chair retainer | $24,000 | Not applicable (not a member/chair) |
| Compensation Committee chair retainer | $20,000 | Not applicable (not a member/chair) |
| Audit Committee member retainer | $16,000 | Not applicable (not a member) |
| Compensation Committee member retainer | $14,000 | Not applicable (not a member) |
| Meeting fees | None disclosed | Program does not specify per-meeting fees |
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant-Date Value | Vesting | Performance Metrics | Change-of-Control Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial RSU grant upon appointment | ~$600,000 | 1/3 vest on each of first 3 anniversaries, subject to continued service | None disclosed; time-based vesting | Vests in full if CoC and director will not join successor board |
| Annual RSU grant (at annual meeting) | ~$200,000 | Vests in full on earlier of 1-year anniversary or next annual meeting, subject to continued service | None disclosed; time-based vesting | Vests in full if CoC and director will not join successor board |
| Clawback | N/A | N/A | Compensation Committee empowered to approve/modify clawback policies | Committee authority to implement clawbacks |
Director equity awards are time-based RSUs; no disclosed performance metrics (e.g., revenue, EBITDA, TSR) for director grants .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public company boards: Takeda Pharmaceutical (since June 2016), Boston Scientific (since July 2016), Oracle Japan (Chair/Outside Director since August 2018), JTower (since April 2025) .
- Investment platform affiliations: Senior Executive Advisor at CVC Capital Partners Asia Pacific Japan and DigitalBridge Group (and director roles at their portfolio companies) .
- Governance note: Independent directors handle nominations (no nominating committee), increasing emphasis on independence in slate formation .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technical/industry: Petroleum engineering background; extensive operational leadership across plastics, healthcare, consumer finance, and broader Asia operations at GE .
- Board leadership: Chair role at Oracle Japan; multi-industry board experience in pharma, medtech, telecom infrastructure .
- Education: B.S. (University of Tokyo), MBA (Carnegie Mellon), Board of Trustees member at Carnegie Mellon .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoshiaki Fujimori | — | <1% | As of Oct 6, 2025, beneficial ownership less than 1%; table does not list a share number |
| Pledging/Hedging | Prohibited | N/A | Insider trading policy prohibits short sales, options trading, hedging transactions, margin accounts and pledging; requires pre-clearance |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and committee posture: Fujimori is independent, but not currently seated on Audit or Compensation Committees—limiting his direct influence over financial reporting and pay oversight; Board maintains executive sessions led by independent directors with a designated Lead Independent Director (Frank) .
- Compensation alignment: Cash retainer is modest; director equity is time-based RSUs ($600k initial; $200k annual), which supports alignment but lacks performance conditions—neutral for pay-for-performance; clawback authority exists at the committee level .
- Ownership signal: Beneficial ownership shows less than 1%, indicating limited disclosed direct “skin in the game” as of the record date (unvested RSUs are typically excluded from beneficial ownership) .
- RED FLAGS to monitor:
- Extensive external affiliations (CVC, DigitalBridge, multiple boards) could present potential conflicts or time-commitment risks if Blaize transacts with entities tied to those platforms; however, no related-party transactions are disclosed, and the Audit Committee must pre-approve any >$120,000 related-person transactions per policy .
- Absence of a nominating committee places nomination oversight with independent directors; process quality hinges on independence rigor and conflict vetting .
- Positive controls: Strong insider trading controls (no hedging/pledging), independent-majority board, executive sessions, and committee charters addressing financial reporting and compensation risks .
Overall, Fujimori brings seasoned international operating and board experience, with independence affirmed; key investor focus areas are ongoing monitoring of potential interlocks via CVC/DigitalBridge and confirmation of active engagement given broad external load, alongside alignment assessment as RSU grants vest over time .