Derek Kanehira

Derek Kanehira

Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Derek Kanehira is senior vice president of human resources at Alexander & Baldwin. He joined the company in May 2020. Kanehira provides overall strategic HR leadership to the company and is responsible for overseeing the delivery of strategic HR solutions to the company, including programs, services and policies and supporting the company through organizational development, corporate culture and employee engagement initiatives.

Kanehira brings a wealth of HR experience to A&B, most recently serving as vice president & director of HR services at Hawaii Employers Council. Prior, he held senior HR executive roles with several Hawaii companies including Hawaii National Bank, First Insurance Company of Hawaii and Japan Airlines. Under his leadership at Hawaii National Bank, the financial institution received the “Healthiest Employer” award for mid-sized companies in 2014 and 2016.

Education and community commitment

He serves in an advisory capacity for the State of Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care Advisory Council, McKinley High School’s Academy of Finance, Hospitality & Tourism, University of Hawaii – Masters in HR Management Program, American Heart Association’s Disability, Equality, and Inclusion Taskforce, and Ceridian HCM.  He is also a director of the Hawaii Compensation Group, executive director of Diabetes Care for Life, Board of Governor of Hawaii Employers Council, and committee member for Nareit’s Social Responsibility Council, State of Hawaii Workforce Development Council, and State of Hawaii Department of Education – Merit Appeals Board.