Announcement of Appointment of New President and CEO at CIEN Co., Ltd.

CIEN Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Koji Kishi; hereinafter, "the Company"), a professional firm that fundamentally solves challenges in the insurance industry, announced that Koji Kishi was appointed as President and CEO, effective May 1, 2026. Naoyuki Kosaka, the former representative director, has been appointed Chairman of the Board.

Names, New Positions, Former Positions
Koji Kishi, President and CEO, Executive Officer and Head of Business Division
Naoyuki Kosaka, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO

Background
Since its establishment in September 2024, the Company has been providing comprehensive support, from management strategies to human resource development and recruitment, for various challenges with professional members possessing specialized knowledge in the insurance industry. In February 2025, with the holding company structure of the Hokan Group, the Company became part of the group. The Hokan Group advocates "Industry Contributor" as its group vision, contributing to the sustainable development of the entire insurance industry, and has a tripartite value co-creation model of technology, solutions, and creativity under hokan Inc., CIEN Co., Ltd., and Frich Co., Ltd. Since the Company's establishment and the formation of the holding company, Kosaka, who serves as the group representative, has concurrently held the position of representative director of CIEN and driven business to date. However, as the businesses of each group company enter a full-scale expansion phase, we have decided to separate group management and individual company management, establishing a system where each can commit exclusively to their respective roles.

In the insurance industry, a major turning point is approaching where sophisticated management and drastic operational review are required, as the revised Insurance Business Act is scheduled to come into effect on June 1, 2026, for the first time in approximately 10 years, coinciding with the rapid spread of generative AI and digital technologies, which complicate the business environment.
Amidst these trends, the Company believes that realizing agile decision-making and flexible business operations is crucial, and thus decided to change its management structure.

Since joining CIEN in April 2025 and being appointed Executive Officer and Head of Business Division, Kishi has steadily built achievements in both business foundations and trust within the industry, leveraging his extensive practical experience and wide network in the insurance industry.

Going forward, by clearly dividing roles between Kosaka, who will exclusively focus on the overall management of the group, and Kishi, who will exclusively lead the Company's business, we will further strengthen business propulsion and inter-group collaboration.

Comment from Koji Kishi, President and CEO, CIEN Co., Ltd.

[Career History]
After working at Yanase and Sony Life, he served as Director at FLP, Vice President at Ernest Place, and President and CEO at Life Salon (Nippon Life Group). Recently, he has utilized his sales experience as a recruiter, experience in launching and operating insurance shops, and practical experience in overall recruitment and education of recruiters, to provide consulting specialized in the insurance industry and serve as a seminar instructor. He has also been involved in planning and directing sales promotion, marketing, education, and sales strategy formulation, as well as training tools for various insurance companies. Subsequently, he joined CIEN Co., Ltd. in April 2025 and was appointed Executive Officer and Head of Business Division. In May 2026, he was appointed President and CEO.

Since its establishment, CIEN, as a member of the Hokan Group, has had numerous opportunities to support customers in solving their challenges, from strategy formulation to on-site assistance. The knowledge and unique "patterns" cultivated through working together with everyone so far are our greatest assets, and we believe they will serve as important guidelines for unraveling complex management challenges ahead.

Upon assuming the presidency, I promise to accumulate flexible decisions even in this era of rapid change and meet your expectations. I will earnestly and with unwavering determination address the significant theme of sustainable business growth.

As a good partner who can look to the future from the same perspective as our customers and walk together step by step, all employees will unite to contribute to the development of the industry.

We sincerely request your continued guidance and encouragement.

The Company respectfully declines congratulations, celebratory flowers, etc., while appreciating your kind consideration. We ask for your understanding.

■ Overview of Hokan Group Co., Ltd.

It is a pure holding company with a mission to "realize the update and upgrade of the entire insurance industry," consisting of hokan Inc., which provides products, CIEN Co., Ltd., which provides solutions, and Frich Co., Ltd., which provides creative P2P (Peer to Peer) compensation models and related systems. Through the utilization of digital technology and the provision of comprehensive solutions, we support everyone involved in insurance and lead the insurance industry into a new era.

Corporate website: https://hkn-group.jp/

■ CIEN Co., Ltd.
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