Takanobu Maeda

President & CEO
NTT Com Asia Limited / HKNet Company Limited

Mr. Takanobu Maeda is the President and CEO of NTT Com Asia Limited and HKNet Company Limited, managing over 300 ICT professionals in Hong Kong. He came into the current role in July 2009, after serving for 21 years for the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT).

Mr. Maeda joined NTT in 1988 and has accumulated extensive experience in the global IP and network industry. He was one of the key members in developing the group’s international business and global network while he was with NTT America as the Director of the Network and IP Division in 1997. He was transferred to NTT Communications (NTT Com) in 2000 to establish the Global Network Division. As the Director of the division, Mr. Maeda has formulated the entire business model of the group’s global network service, from infrastructure planning, development and management, costing, pricing and selling strategy to developing the footprint of the network business around the world. Mr. Maeda has helped the group achieve its long-range telecommunications objectives and made important contributions to the group’s next-generation global networks. Under his leadership, NTT Com’s global network has grown to be one of the best in the world. Its exceptional performance was demonstrated well by the Taiwan Earthquake incident in 2006, where NTT Com was the first provider in the region to resume network service to customers after the earthquake.

In 2006, Mr. Maeda was promoted to the Vice President of Global IP Network Sales and Marketing. Under his leadership, the IP Transit business has increased by over 70% in terms of revenue and has gained 40% of Asia’s total internet traffic. NTT Com’s ranking of IP Transit wholesale market has also grown to Top 3 in the world during his tenure (Source: Renesys’ Market Intelligence, July 2009).

Mr. Maeda holds a Bachelor and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan.