Thierry G. Porté, took over as chair of the Japan-United States Friendship Commission on January 9, 2008. Porté received a B.A. in Economics from Harvard in 1978, and graduated from Harvard’s Business School in 1982. He began his career at Chemical Bank in Paris, and then worked for Morgan Stanley for 22 years in a variety of arenas, including capital markets, corporate finance, and management, in London, New York, and Tokyo. When Porté left the company, he held the positions of Managing Director, and President, Representative Director, and Branch Manager of Morgan Stanley Japan. From 2000 to 2003 Porté was Vice President and Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Also from 2002 to 2003 he was a member of the Invest Japan Forum, a private sector committee that provided recommendations to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for the promotion of foreign direct investment in Japan. In November 2003, Porté joined Shinsei Bank, Limited, as Vice Chairman, and became Vice Chairman and Director in June 2004. In 2005 he moved up to President and CEO, which he remains today.