Did you know? Thierry Porté is U.S. CULCON’s chairman. He is a Managing Director at investment firm J.C. Flowers & Co. LLC. Mr. Porté has an impressive history of leading major financial companies in Japan. He was president and CEO of Shinsei Bank Japan from 2005 to 2008, and was Managing Director, President, Branch Manager and Representative Director of Morgan Stanley Japan from 1995 to 2003. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a B.A. in economics, and is a Baker Scholar graduate of Harvard Business School.
Mr. Porté’s extensive background, including fundraising expertise, informs his leadership of CULCON, the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, and the U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation, a 501(c)3 established by the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission that provides scholarships for American students to study abroad in Japan.
Mr. Porté continues the mission of Ambassador Reischauer, who established CULCON in 1962. Mr. Porté explains, “The premise that Ambassador Reischauer had [for CULCON] was that to establish a true and strong bond between the Japanese and the American people, that it had to be done on a people to people basis, that it should involve exchanges, and that it should be in areas of education and culture.”
Under Mr. Porté’s leadership, CULCON continues to strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship, with concrete activities including panel discussions among leaders in international business and government officials, a task force to analyze how to increase academic exchange, and more.  Please see the CULCON, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission and U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation websites and Facebook pages for more information.