In his current role, Mr. Kobayashi is responsible for strengthening and streamlining the company’s strategy, business planning and risk management processes. From 2007 to 2008, he served as Vice President of Energy Resource Management for KCP&L, which included responsibility for the fuels department, energy resource planning, power system sales and electricity/natural gas trading. At GPE, he was Vice President of Strategic Planning & Investor Relations from 2005 to 2007, as well as Investor Relations Officer from 2002 through 2004. He joined Great Plains Energy in 2002.

Prior to joining the company, he served as Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Development for Lante Corporation in Chicago for two years. From 1997 to 2000, he worked as an interest rate and currency securities analyst serving as Vice President of Economic Research for Commerzbank Futures and Nikko Securities International. Mr. Kobayashi was an Assistant Vice President while acting as an institutional derivatives broker from 1989 to 1996 for Prudential Securities, Inc. and E.D.F. Man International Inc.

Mr. Kobayashi is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charterholder; and has held securities licenses Series 3, Series 7 and Series 63. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program and has a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he graduated cum laude and with university honors.