Professor Yoshi (Yoshihiro) Kawai is Chairman of OECD Insurance and Private Pension Committee, Chairman of South East Asia Disaster Risk Insurance Facility (SEADRIF), Global Asia Insurance Partnership (GAIP), Advisor to Commissioner, Financial Services Agency, Government of Japan, and Member of International Advisory Council, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission. He is also Professor of Kyoto University, and Tokyo University.
He held the position of Secretary General of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) since June 2003 until November 2017. He joined the IAIS in 1998 as Deputy Secretary General and was instrumental in the dynamic growth of the Association. During his IAIS duties, he was also a member of the Financial Stability Board (formerly Financial Stability Forum) from 1999 until November 2017.
He earned his PhD in insurance in 2000 from City University, London. His PhD was preceded by a BA in Education and Sociology from the University of Tokyo and a MBA from INSEAD, France.
He is a keen tennis player and a marathon runner.