WEST CALDWELL, N.J., July 1 -- At its recent shareholders meeting in Tokyo, Japan, Ricoh Company Ltd., the parent company of Ricoh Corporation, announced that Susumu "Sam" Ichioka has been appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ricoh Corporation. Mr. Ichioka has served as vice chairman of Ricoh Corporation since October 1, 2003, and succeeds Katsumi "Kirk" Yoshida who now oversees the International Marketing Group for Ricoh Company Ltd., in Japan. In his new position, Mr. Ichioka will be in charge of Ricoh's operations in the Americas, which includes sales and marketing of the Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner and Lanier brands, as well as Ricoh Canada and Ricoh Latin America. "It is an honor to work for Ricoh in the United States as this position affords me the opportunity to increase Ricoh's operations throughout all of the Americas," said Mr. Ichioka. Prior to joining Ricoh Corporation last year, Mr. Ichioka served as chairman of Ricoh Asia Pacific PTE, Ltd., and president of Ricoh Hong Kong Ltd. His responsibilities included management of all Ricoh operations in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Before his assignment in Asia, Mr. Ichioka served as General Manager of Total Quality Management and Supply Chain Management for all international operations of Ricoh Company, Ltd. He joined Ricoh Company, Ltd. in 1971, and served in several locations around the world, including Europe and Latin America. Mr. Ichioka holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Hiroshima University in Japan. He is married with two children and resides in Cliffside Park, NJ.