Canon U.S.A. Inc. has announced new executive promotions, effective Jan. 1, 2026. These appointments demonstrate Canon's dedication to promoting internal talent and positioning them for success — both professionally and personally.

"These promotions reflect the exceptional leadership, vision and dedication these individuals bring to our organization," said Sammy Kobayashi, president and CEO, Canon U.S.A. Inc. "Their contributions will be instrumental in driving our progress and elevating our impact as we move forward into this new era of growth and innovation. We congratulate them on this achievement and wish them continued success in their new roles."

Executive appointments for the new year include:

• Lucia Suljic has been promoted to vice president of legal, Canon U.S.A. Inc.
• Daniel Przislicki has been promoted to vice president of service operations and enablement, Service Strategy and Support Group, Canon U.S.A. Inc.
• Tomohiro Hosoi has been promoted to vice president of intellectual property and audit, Canon U.S.A. Inc.
• Takashi Makiko has been promoted to vice president of sales planning, Business Partner Group, Canon U.S.A. Inc.
• Scott Paster has been promoted to president of Canon Business Process Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A.

In other news, Canon U.S.A. Inc. has announced that its parent company, Canon Inc., ranked seventh in the number of patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2025, placing it in the world's top 10, according to IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, a U.S.-based patent research firm. Among the companies that have maintained a position within the global top 10, Canon currently holds the record for the longest duration — 42 consecutive years.

Canon emphasizes the importance of obtaining patents not only in Japan, but also internationally. It promotes patent filing based on regional business strategies, as well as technology advancement and product trends. The United States, with its concentration of high-tech companies and its large market scale, is a particularly important region in terms of business expansion and technology alliances.

"Canon will continue to innovate to deliver value that goes beyond our customers' expectations," said Seymour Liebman, executive vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel, Canon U.S.A. Inc., and senior managing executive officer, Canon Inc. "Our continued presence among the top patent holders demonstrates our steadfast commitment to innovation and intellectual property."

Canon makes maximum use of its intellectual property portfolio to enhance corporate value. In addition to focusing on protecting intellectual property rights related to core business competencies, Canon devotes significant resources to obtain intellectual property rights to help anticipate future developments covering technologies in areas such as AI and IoT, international technical standards and the environment, to help create new businesses.

Canon will continue its intellectual property initiatives with the goal of supporting its businesses, providing products and services with high added value and contributing to a better society.