On July 15th, JASH launched the inaugural meeting featuring Mr. Masahiro (Mark) Ikeno, President and CEO of Irving, Texas-based NEC Corporation of America – the principal subsidiary of NEC Corporation (NEC) in the United States. Mr. Ikeno spoke to how NEC is using its over 120-year history and legacy in communications to empower the ICT-enabled society of tomorrow.

NEC Corporation has been a leader in global Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions since 1899. As the pioneer of many of the world’s largest national biometric ID programs, passenger biometric and identity programs, and large-scale biometric access control systems, NEC is at the forefront of the development of cutting-edge IT and network communications, biometric recognition and IoT and AI technologies. According to the United States Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), NEC consistently ranked #1 in fingerprint recognition and facial recognition technologies. NEC’s technologies are used in over 1,000 public safety systems globally and have helped improve law enforcement’s ability to apprehend and convict criminals in over 30 countries. In addition, NEC’s technologies are used in a myriad of government offices, including the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of State.

NEC is also in the process of making many groundbreaking advances that are improving our daily lives. In June 2021, NEC entered into an agreement with Star Alliance and SITA to introduce a universal biometric identity system in airports across the world. The incorporation of facial recognition for both international and domestic flights across the U.S. and worldwide will provide travelers with a seamless experience from curbside to boarding.

Elements of this technology can already be found in Hawaii, as NEC integrated Phase 3 of a new thermal screening project in May 2021. This project protects airport employees as well as passenger health and safety by detecting body temperatures above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit to combat COVID-19 as well as other forms of sickness. This major advancement has proven incredibly beneficial to improving Hawaii’s COVID-19 economic recovery as well as public health safety.

Mr. Masahiro (Mark) Ikeno is President and CEO of NEC Corporation of America, an industry leading provider of biometrics and communications technology and integrator of IT solutions. In his role, Mr. Ikeno is responsible for the business strategy, operations and leadership of the company.

He is a seasoned executive with more than 33 years of extensive sales, marketing, business development and management experience with NEC Corporation, NEC EMEA and NEC America, primarily in information technology and computing. Before joining NEC Corporation of America in November 2017, Mr. Ikeno was President and CEO of NEC Europe Ltd., based in London. Prior to that, he held numerous management positions in the international solution sales, most recently as Vice President of the Global Business Unit.

Mr. Ikeno holds a Bachelor degree in theoretical physics from Kyoto University, Kyoto.