The Medal for Leadership in the Advancement of Ceramic Technology recognizes individuals, who through leadership and vision in an executive role, have made substantial contributions to the success of their organization and in turn have significantly expanded the frontiers of the ceramics industry. Two medals will be presented each year, one from the Americas, the other from outside the Americas.
Award: the award consists of a medal and a certificate that will be presented at the ACerS Awards Banquet at MS&T each October. Note: being present at the Banquet is a requirement of acceptance. If the person(s) selected cannot be present to accept the award, it will not be awarded to that person in that year.
Nomination Process
- Nominees typically will hold senior positions such as CEO, CTO, President or Vice‐President in a ceramics industry organization. Membership in The American Ceramic Society is not required.
- Nominees may be nominated by any member of The American Ceramic Society. The lead nominator must sign the nomination form and submit a letter of nomination no longer than one page.
- Statements from a minimum of three associates familiar with the candidate’s accomplishments should be included in the nomination package. More than three associate statements may be submitted if desired. The associates do not need to be members of The American Ceramic Society in order to submit a statement. Only the lead nominator must be an ACerS member. Supporting statements from associates cannot exceed 500 words.
- Supporting information about the nominee may be submitted (CV, publication list, etc.). There is no length limitation on supporting information.
- Nominations are eligible for a total of five years. Updated information can be submitted each year.
- No candidate will be selected for this award posthumously.
- Only nominations received by March 1 and submitted on the proper nomination form will be considered.
- In considering nominees for this award, the committee will consider potential duplication of recognition for accomplishments that have been recognized in a prior ACerS award conferred upon the nominee. Typically, nominees will not be recognized with multiple awards for the same accomplishments.
Award Committee
Nominations are evaluated by a 5‐person committee appointed by the President of The American Ceramic Society.
Contact
Erica Zimmerman
ezimmerman@ceramics.org
Award Winners
Naotaka Kondo
Mr. Naotaka Kondo is President and CEO of Toyo Tanso Co. Ltd., Japan. He is a dynamic and visionary leader who has grown the company worldwide to serve key areas in semiconductor, energy, and environmental industries. Toyo Tanso was the first in the world to succeed in the industrial production of isotropic graphite and artificial graphite block in the 1970’s. Mr. Kondo expanded the market of graphite and carbide products globally to various industrial sectors. He has directed the development of composite materials of carbides, ceramics and graphite for the metallurgy and semiconductor markets, while at the same time innovating manufacturing technology to timely launch products at the pace desired by the global market.
In addition to graphite materials, Toyo Tanso has been the first in the world to successfully industrialize mesoporous carbon (CNovel), a new carbon material that uses ceramic and carbon composite material technology and is directing its business expansion. In the field of catalyst carrier applications for fuel cells, it has demonstrated performance that surpasses other materials, and the company is also actively expanding its business into the hydrogen and clean energy fields. In these advanced energy fields, the company is expanding its technology and business beyond the boundaries of the industry, for example by collaborating with catalyst manufacturers on product development, thereby supporting expansion beyond material products into application fields and gaining many users.
Under his leadership, Toyo Tanso has become a global player in advanced carbon based products for semiconductors, energy, environment, thermal management, and other key industries. Mr. Kondo is also active in various professional organizations/associations and has received numerous awards and prizes and has been extensively interviewed by various global news outlets.