Congratulations and many thanks and appreciation to the wonderful leadership of Prof. Akinori Nishihara, 2019-2020 IEEE Region 10 Director. Your efforts and contributions have enhanced IEEE, both in general and within Region 10. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavors.
Lawrence Wong, Past Vice President, MGA & Past IEEE Region 10 Director
Prof. Akinori was Region 10 Director for 2019-20. I joined the ExCom from 2020 as the Chair for Life Member Committee. He was very supportive of all activities being organized by ExCom members. The 2020 ExCom was held in physical mode in Queenstown, New Zealand. From R10 AGM onwards all events became virtual. LMC organized the SYWL congress during September 2020 and All India SYWL congress during December 2020. He joined both events online & attended all sessions. He has always been very supportive to Life Member activities.
Rajendra K. Asthana, 2021-2022 Life Member Committee Chair
Prof. Akinori Nishihara, known as Akki-san, is known to me since 2017 when he joined as ExCom of R10 when I was the Conference and Technical Seminar coordinator. I found Prof. Akinori to be a calm, sincere, and simple person. He is an excellent academician. Later he became R10 Director, and I saw him making quick and effective decisions for the growth of R10. He took many new initiatives in R10 which will always be remembered.
Sri Niwas Singh, 2019-2020 Vice Chair of Technical Activities
Dear Akinori, thank you for your strong, sustained commitment as a volunteer leader of IEEE. As Region 10 Director, you helped grow and develop IEEE Region 10 into one of the powerhouse regions within IEEE’s global presence, and whose accomplishments advanced—and continue to advance—the technologies of our world. Under your leadership, Region 10 built an open, diverse community across its numerous borders.
I appreciate the energy of your service, the passion you bring to your work, and the dedication you have demonstrated in advancing technology for the benefit of the people of Region 10 and around the globe. Thank you.
Susan K. Land, 2021 IEEE President & CEO
On behalf of the entire IEEE staff, I would like to extend my deep appreciation for the strong leadership of Region 10 Past Director, Prof. Akinori Nishihara during his term. Professor Nishihara’s great commitment to IEEE and to the IEEE membership, both in Region 10 and across the world, was clear in his every action, and his efforts were vital to the progress of IEEE in an unprecedented period. As IEEE’s largest region, the work of coordinating the activities of Region 10 is a significant, complex and important responsibility – and Akinori’s work with the R10 leadership has steered the region through a period of growth and expansion of the IEEE mission. As a member of the IEEE board, Akinori has been a strong voice on matters of technical excellence, ethical conduct, and engagement of our global membership. It has been a great pleasure working with Past Director Nishihara and I wish Akinori the greatest success in the future.
Stephen Welby, IEEE Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer
Thank you so much for your warm support in our opening and closing ceremonies of IEEE Region 10 Humanitarian Technology Conference in December 2020, Prof Akinori! On behalf of IEEE R10 HTC Organizing committee and IEEE Sarawak Subsection, you have supported us very well since the bid to the closing of the entire conference in 2020. A big thank you!
Lau Bee Theng, 2020 IEEE R10 HTC General Chair
Dear Aki-san, thank you for your great leadership to make Region 10 as one of the most diverse and vibrant regions. You are a fabulous sensei. Working under your leadership and guidance was an amazing experience. Thank you so much for always being so supportive. I am grateful for your mentorship and thoughtfulness. Domo Arigato Gozaimashita.
Ewell Tan, Project Manager, IEEE Asia Pacific
It has been a very special privilege to know Professor Akinori Nishihara, affectionately called Aki-san, as a fellow R10 EXCOM member and a friend for many years.
Aki-san, a very soft-spoken but firm leader, always listens and carefully considers all aspects before making decisions. His meticulous but friendly leadership style has been refreshing, which made it easier for everyone in IEEE R10 EXCOM to tackle the challenges of COVID-19. The R10 SYWL Congress is a much-awaited flagship event for students and young professional members in the Region. It was a big responsibility for my team and I to organize the 2020 R10 SYWL under very uncertain conditions owing to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, Aki-san’s guidance was instrumental in planning and holding a very successful virtual congress for the first time.
I am truly grateful to Aki-san for appointing me as the R10 Vice Chair (Members Activities) for 2019-2020 and extending his encouragement and amazing support throughout this period to make my job stress-free. It was truly a wonderful and learning experience working under leadership of Aki-san as IEEE Region 10 Director (2019-2020). He continues to remain a great source of strength for my volunteering work.
Zia Ahmed, 2021-2022 Vice Chair of Technical Activities
It has been a very special privilege to know Prof. Akinori Nishihara who I first met at the 2017 R10 Section Meeting in Tokyo when I was the IEEE Malaysia Section Chair and he was the IEEE Region 10 Director-Elect. Since then we have worked closely and met many more times, not only during the R10 Section/ExComm meeting, but also at other avenues such as APSIPA 2017 in Kula Lumpur, Sections Congress 2017 in Sydney, R10HTC 2019 in Jakarta etc. Specifically, it was such an honor to work with and welcome him and the then R10 Director, Prof. Kukjin Chun to the 2018 R10 Section Meeting in Langkawi, Malaysia. I am also very grateful to Aki-san for appointing me as the R10 Newsletter Chair under his directorship, a position that I have held from 2019 until present. It was truly a wonderful learning experience working under his leadership full of great ideas such as highlighting our COVID19 heroes during this pandemic time and many others. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
Mohammad Faizal Ahmad Fauzi, 2021-2022 Newsletter Committee Chair