Dr. Soichi Noguchi appointed as President of IHI Academy to accelerate challenges and transformation for the IHI Group
The IHI Group has been operating the IHI Academy, established in April 2023, with the aim of cultivating “globally active management and specialized human resources” to lead the transformation of the IHI Group. Effective April 1, 2025, Dr. Soichi Noguchi, an active astronaut, has been appointed as the President of the IHI Academy, and his experience and expertise will be leveraged to accelerate the challenges and transformation of the IHI Group.
“Tackle issues, Beyond boundaries, Unlock potential.” — The Mission of the IHI Academy
The IHI Academy began operations in April 2023 as an organization directly under the Group CEO. With the slogan “Tackle issues, Beyond boundaries, Unlock potential.” its mission is to discover and cultivate human resources who will lead the transformation of the Group. Selected employees have been challenged with high-difficulty projects, such as taking on management roles at Group subsidiaries. Additionally, to open doors for motivated talents, the IHI Academy offers practical training programs with limited enrolment. This enables an environment where employees can take initiative, challenge themselves, and experience personal growth, aiming to produce 600 transformative talents by the end of the 2025 fiscal year.
Results and the Expanding Transformation Movement
Talent cultivated through the IHI Academy is driving transformation both within and outside the Group by leveraging new perspectives and skills. Many participants have shared that they were able to break free from fixed notions and feel a sense of self-growth. In addition, the IHI Academy is planning to hold alumni events as a place for broad employee exchange through training programs, as well as mechanisms to promote exchange among graduates, accelerating the transformation movement throughout the IHI Group and building a system where the growth of each employee leads to the development of the business.
Promoting IHI Group's Challenges and Transformation with Dr. Soichi Noguchi
The IHI Group expects Dr. Soichi Noguchi to leverage his extensive experience and knowledge as an astronaut to demonstrate leadership as an embodiment of the IHI Academy's philosophy of “Tackle issues, Beyond boundaries, Unlock potential.”. Going forward, the IHI Group will continue to nurture human resources who will drive sustainable growth and pursue activities that “Create a world where nature and technology work in unity.”
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| Born in 1965 | Completed graduate studies at the University of Tokyo, Doctor of Philosophy (Academic). Specialized in Advanced Interdisciplinary Engineering. | |
| 1991 | Joined IHI Corporation. | |
| 1996 | Selected as an astronaut candidate. | |
| 2005 | Aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery “STS-114,” became the first Japanese astronaut to perform extravehicular activities at the International Space Station (ISS). | |
| 2009 | Became the first Japanese astronaut to serve as deputy commander aboard the Soyuz spacecraft TMA-17. | |
| 2014 | Became the first Asian to serve as president of the International NGO “Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers.” | |
| 2019 | Appointed as an advisory committee member of the Saudi Arabian Space Commission. | |
| 2020 | Became the first non-American to board the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and was recognized by Guinness World Records as the first astronaut in the world to achieve three different types of returns (runway, ground, and sea surface).
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| 2022 | Received the YouTube Creator Award for videos such as “Live Chopin Performance from Space.” Appointed as Executive Advisor to IHI Corporation. | |
| 2025 | Appointed as the President of the IHI Academy, a position he holds to this day. | |
| Representative of Mirai Space Co., Ltd., and appointed Project Professor at the University of Tokyo, and Specially Appointed Professor at Nihon University. Hobbies include cooking, camping, and flying airplanes. | ||