REGISTER

AGENDA

Speakers posted below are those whose time slots are confirmed.
 As of November 1, 2023

online attendance

Day 1: November 7(Tue)

9:40 - 9:45

Opening

Day 1-1

9:45 - 10:15

Transforming the Business Model to Win

James P. Gorman

Chairman and CEO, Morgan Stanley

Moderator

Takeshi Kawanami

Editor, Financial and Market News Unit, Editorial Division
Nikkei Inc.

Day 1-2

10:25 - 10:55

Making an Impact with Technology

Jean-Pascal Tricoire

Chairman, Schneider Electric

Moderator

Jean-François Manzoni

President, IMD

Day 1-3

11:05 - 11:35

Leading Thailands’ Supply Chain Transition

Jareeporn Jarukornsakul

Group CEO, WHA Group

Moderator

Francesca Regalado

Staff Writer of Editorial Headquarters for Asia, Nikkei Inc.

11:35 - 13:20

Lunch

12:05 - 12:55

Lunch Session & Networking
*Only available with In-Person Pass
*Lunch session will be in Japanese only.

Makoto Kajiwara

Commentator, Nikkei Inc.

Kaori Takahashi

Senior Producer, Nikkei Inc.

Day 1-4

13:20 - 13:50

Pioneering Japan's Tomorrow and the World's Future with Technology～Toward a Predictable Society

Hiroshige Sugihara

President and CEO, GeoTechnologies

Moderator

Yo Tanaka

Senior Staff Writer, Nikkei Inc.

Day 1-5

14:00 - 14:30

How can decarbonisation generate new business opportunities

Loh Chin Hua

CEO, Keppel Corporation

Moderator

Jean-François Manzoni

President, IMD

Day 1-6

14:40 - 15:10

Unleashing the Potential for Organizational Transformation through Coaching

Yoshiyuki Suzuki

CEO, COACH A

Moderator

Sawako Oiwa

Senior Staff Writer, Nikkei Inc.

15:10 - 15:30

Coffee Break & Networking*Only available with In-Person Pass

Day 1-7

15:30 - 16:20

Panel Discusson Generative AI, is there a chance for Japan to win?

Yuya Soneoka

CEO, ELYZA

Naoko Ishihara

Head of Hataraku AI & DX laboratory, ExaWizards

Moderator

Akira Oikawa

AI & Quantum Technology Editor, Nikkei Inc.

Day 1-8

16:30 - 17:00

Achieving Purposeful Transformation at Solvay and Beyond

Ilham Kadri

CEO, Solvay

Moderator

Jean-François Manzoni

President, IMD

Day 1-9

17:10 - 17:40

Management Transformed by Generative AI, and Driving Growth through the Knowledge Value Chain

Hiroyuki Yamada

Co-Chairman, KPMG Japan

Moderator

Kunio Saijo

Senior Staff Writer, Nikkei Inc.

Day 2: November 8(Wed)

9:00 - 9:30

Welcome Coffee & Networking *Only available with In-Person Pass

Day 2-1

9:40 - 10:10

New Trends in Software Development Initiated by U.S. Unicorn

Abhinav Asthana

CEO and Co-Founder, Postman

Moderator

Keiichi Murayama

Commentator, Nikkei Inc.

Day 2-2

10:20 - 10:50

Battery Technology Frontiers for A Sustainable Energy Transition Era

Jian Pan

Board Director, CATL

Moderator

Atsushi Nakayama

Commentator, Nikkei Inc.

Day 2-3

11:00 - 11:30

Leadership for Developing People in New Era of Technology

Takeshi Niinami

CEO, Suntory Holdings

Moderator

Akio Fujii

Chair of Editorial Board, Nikkei Inc.

Day 2-4

11:40 - 12:10

The secret of "cactus leather" admired by high brands

Adrián López Velarde

Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Adriano Di Marti

Marte Cázarez

Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Adriano Di Marti

Moderator

Waka Matsumoto

Editor-in-chief of THE NIKKEI MAGAZINE, Nikkei Inc.

12:10 - 13:40

Lunch

Day 2-5

13:40 - 14:10

150 years of change: How culture and technology are shaping the future of the materials essential to the energy transition

Jakob Stausholm

Executive Director and CEO, Rio Tinto

Moderator

Kaori Takahashi

Senior Producer, Nikkei Inc.

Day 2-6

14:20 - 14:50

Formula for Japanese Corporate Transformation

Yasuyuki Higuchi

President and CEO, Panasonic Connect

Moderator

Kazuo Ichijo

Professor, IMD

Day 2-7

15:00 - 15:30

Welcome to the Siliconony

Pat Gelsinger

CEO, Intel Corporation

Moderator

Akito Tanaka

Senior Staff Writer, Nikkei Asia Chief business news correspondent, Nikkei Inc. (Based in Singapore)

Day 2-8

15:40 - 16:10

Forging the Future with Science, Technology, and Transformational Leadership

Jean-Marc Gilson

President and CEO, Mitsubishi Chemical Group

Moderator

Naoshi Takatsu

Managing Partner, Northeast Asia, IMD

Day 2-9

16:20 - 17:20

Junko Tsuboi

Director of the Board, Senior Executive Officer, Kirin Holdings

Rie Kajikawa

Director and CMO, MONEY PARTNERS GROUP

Moderator

Natsuko Nakamura

Senior Staff Writer, Nikkei Inc.

Day 2-10

17:30 - 18:00

Summary Session

Jean-François Manzoni

President, IMD

Akito Tanaka

Senior Staff Writer, Nikkei Asia Chief business news correspondent, Nikkei Inc. (Based in Singapore)

Honorifics and titles omitted.

English and Japanese simultaneous interpretation will be available during the forum.

Please be advised that speakers may be subject to change.

Speakers will participate online, with few exceptions. Please be aware that video and audio may be disturbed due to technical problems with internet connections or server.

Takeshi Niinami

CEO
Suntory Holdings

Tak Niinami is the Chief Executive Officer of Suntory Holdings, one of the world's leading consumer products companies with operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Tak spent the first 20 years of his career at Mitsubishi Corporation, where he held a number of management positions and founded Sodex Corporation (now LEOC Co.), a hospital food service joint venture between Mitsubishi and Sodexo of France, ultimately taking the company public in 1999. Prior to joining Suntory in 2014, Tak was CEO of Lawson, Inc., which he grew into one of Asia’s major convenience store operators, posting profit growth for 12 consecutive years and quadrupling its market capitalization during his tenure.

Outside of Suntory, Tak has served on the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy as senior economic advisor to the Prime Minister since 2014, the longest serving business leader in Japan. He has served for former Prime Ministers Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga, and the incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. He is also Chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives.

Tak is also Asia Pacific Chairman of the Trilateral Commission, Chair of the Asia Business Council, and a member of the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council, the Global Board of Advisors of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of Trustees of the United States-Japan Foundation and The Business Council in the US.

Tak received his MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.

Jakob Stausholm

Executive Director and CEO
Rio Tinto

Jakob joined Rio Tinto in September 2018 as Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer. He was appointed as Chief Executive from 1 January 2021. He has worked globally in senior finance roles for over 20 years.

Jakob worked 19 years for Shell across Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. His last role was VP Finance for Asia Pacific, based in Singapore. During his time at Shell, Jakob also held the position of chief internal auditor.

In 2008, Jakob moved back to his native Denmark as Group CFO of the global facility service provider ISS, which operates in 50 countries with in total around 450,000 employees.

From 2012 until 2018, Jakob worked for A.P. Moller-Maersk, the worlds largest shipping company with an annual turnover of US$50bn. Initially, Jakob worked as Chief Strategy, Finance and Transformation Officer for Maersk Line (USD 30 bn turnover) and later held the same role for the broader Maersk Group. As a member of the management board, key responsibilities included, Strategy, Digitisation, IT, Legal and the Transformation and Shared Services Centres.

From 2006 until 2008, Jakob served as a non-executive director of Woodside Petroleum. From 2009 to 2016, Jakob served as a non-executive director of Statoil (now Equinor), the last six years as Chairman of the Audit Committee.

Loh Chin Hua

CEO
Keppel Corporation

Mr Loh Chin Hua is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Keppel Corporation. He was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in January 2014, after having served two years as Chief Financial Officer of the Company. He is also Chairman of several companies within the Keppel Group.

Mr Loh joined the Keppel Group in 2002 and founded Alpha Investment Partners, the Group’s private fund management arm, where he served as Managing Director for 10 years. Before this, he was the Managing Director at Prudential Investment Inc, leading its Asian real estate fund management business.

Mr Loh began his career with the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), where he held key appointments in its Singapore, San Francisco and London offices. Beyond Keppel, Mr Loh is a Board Member of the Singapore Economic Development Board, a member of the Board of Trustees of the National University of Singapore, and a Board Member of EDB Investments Pte Ltd.

A CFA® charterholder, Mr Loh is a Colombo Plan Scholar with a Bachelor in Property Administration from the University of Auckland and a Presidential Key Executive MBA from Pepperdine University.

Adrián López Velarde

Co-Founder and Co-CEO
Adriano Di Marti

Co-Founder and Co-CEO of ADRIANO DI MARTI S.A. DE C.V. (DESSERTO), Mexico from April, 2020. Key role in the Research and Development of the patented cactus-based biomaterial as an alternative to leather Desserto-for the fashion industry and Deserttex-for the automotive industry. Both, fashion and automotive key business developer. Responsible for the sustainability along the value chain and the material production. Responsible for the administration of Marketing and product certification submissions. Key role in the expansion of the company overseas establishing new production units and commercial operations. Company spokesperson to international media. Speeches at universities. Public Relations. Overview of the company in general.

Awards and recognitions through the company: LVMH Innovation Award, Samsung x Architectural Digest Innovation Award, Good Design Award Australia, Good Design Award Korea, Green Product Award Germany,PETA Compassionate Business Award, Solution Provider by Global Fashion Agenda.

Adițional Qualifications:
• Qualification as an advanced speaker in Mandarin.
• Qualification as a Bachelor of Global Politics and Economy from Tamkang University, Taiwan.

Marte Cázarez

Co-Founder and Co-CEO
Adriano Di Marti

CEO with extensive experience in sales and international markets. Risk taker, ambitious but focused, dedicated to the continuous improvement of the business, always creating better alternatives and solutions for the environment and the fashion industry.

April 2019 -Today
ADRIANO DI MARTI SA DE CV - Co-Founder and Co-CEO DESSERTO, a sustainable cactus-based biomaterial often distinguished by its great softness at touch and performance for a wide variety of applications while complying with the most rigorous quality and environmental standards of the industry.
July 2016 - December 2018
LA CASA DEL RELOJ - Commercial Director Development and commercialization of the fashion brand Cloe Time. In charge of the sales strategy in Mexico and national expansion.
January 2015 - January 2016
Aloe Eco Park - Sales Representative Research, development, and USA sales representative of new product made of Aloe Vera plant, as an alternative to toxic chemicals.
October 2010 - August 2011
Tecnologico de Monterrey - Languages Teacher Chinese teacher in medium and intensive class.

Jareeporn Jarukornsakul

Group CEO
WHA Group

Ms. Jareeporn Jarukornsakul is the Chairman of the Executive Committee, and Group CEO of WHA Corporation PCL. Her rich experience in Thailand’s logistics and industrial sectors has put her in a number of strategic positions over the years. Jareeporn started her own plastics and palettes business at the age of 26 and gradually switched to warehousing when she noticed that the big companies that she was supplying needed special services related to warehousing and distribution.

In 2003, she co-founded WHA Corporation, an innovative enterprise focusing on developing high-quality built-to-suit warehouses, distribution centers and factories to answer clients’ needs.

WHA Corporation was listed in the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) in 2012, as the logistics leader in Built-to-Suit Factories and Warehouses in Thailand. In 2015, she led the acquisition of SET-listed WHA Industrial Development Plc., Thailand’s leading industrial estate developer with several industrial clusters in the automotive, electronics and petrochemical sectors.

At present, WHA Group’s operations consist of 4 major hubs - Logistics, Industrial Development, Utilities & Power and Digital Solutions- enabling the company to provide customers with turnkey solutions. Under her leadership, WHA has mapped out a business strategy to make it the most desirable location for companies that would like to start or expand their business not just in Thailand, but also in the Southeast Asia region.

Jareeporn is highly appreciated for her efforts in helping develop sustainable communities through social, economic and environmental programs as a meaningful way to make a difference and help build a better world.

Hiroshige Sugihara

President and CEO
GeoTechnologies

For many years, He has been involved in the management of the IT industry in Japan and the United States, and He is well-versed in global management and digital transformation. In 2013, He assumed the position of Executive Vice President at Hewlett Packard Japan, G.K. achieving the top market share in servers and leading the company to a V-shaped recovery in performance.

In 2013, He became the Senior Vice President of Oracle Corporation in the United States, and in 2014, He became the President and CEO of Oracle Corporation Japan. In just three and a half years, He led the company to a 2.3-fold increase in market capitalization, reaching 1.3 trillion yen, while establishing and expanding the cloud business. In June 2021, He joined GeoTechnologies Corporation as President and CEO.

Jian Pan

Board Director
CATL

Mr. Jian Pan, born in 1976, is a permanent resident of Hong Kong, China. He obtained his master’s degree from the University of Chicago. After working with investment funds, he joined CATL in 2017 as Vice Chairman and a Board Director. Starting in 2022, he continues to be involved in top management as a Board Director.

Yasuyuki Higuchi

President and CEO
Panasonic Connect

Yasu Higuchi began working as an engineer for Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (now Panasonic) in 1980. In 1992, he joined The Boston Consulting Group. After working for Apple Computer Inc., and Compaq Computer Corporation, he became the President of Hewlett-Packard Japan, Ltd. in 2003. At the request of the Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan, he took up the position of President and CEO of the retail giant Daiei, Inc. in 2005 where he spent two years rebuilding the company. In 2007 he became a Representative Executive Officer and COO of Microsoft Co., Ltd. (now Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd.), before becoming President and then Chairman. In 2017 he rejoined Panasonic Corporation as a Representative Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer and CEO of the Connected Solutions Company. Along with Panasonic’s transition to a holding company system in 2022, the company changed its name to Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd., where he is currently President and CEO.

He was born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1957 and graduated from Osaka University School of Engineering, and Harvard Business School.

Jean-François Manzoni

President
IMD

Jean-François Manzoni is the President of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), where he also serves as the Nestlé Chaired Professor (Leadership, Organizational Development).

Under his presidency from 2017, IMD redefined its purpose, invested in technology-mediated pedagogies, enhanced research on areas such as digital transformation and sustainability, and strengthened governance and organizational unity. Despite the pandemic, IMD has further enhanced its position as a world’s leader in executive education and an enabler of corporate transformation.

Manzoni’s research, teaching and advisory activities are focused on leadership, the development of high-performance organizations and corporate governance.

At the organisational level, he studies the content of change, the management of the change process and the role of leaders therein. His work in this area has appeared in several books, articles and over 30 cases.

At the individual level, he studies how leaders can create a caring, high-performance work environment. This stream of research has led to several articles and the award-winning book entitled The Set-Up to Fail Syndrome: How good managers cause great people to fail.

On the corporate governance side, Manzoni focuses on interpersonal dynamics within the Boardroom and between management and the Board.

A Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Directors, he has served on multiple boards, and currently serves on the Board of Keppel Corp., an international diversified group listed on the Singapore stock exchange.

A citizen of Canada and France, Manzoni received his Doctorate from Harvard Business School.

Kazuo Ichijo

Professor
IMD

Kazuo Ichijo is a Professor of Innovation and Leadership at IMD. His research interests focus on innovation through the process of organizational knowledge creation. His areas of expertise are the development of knowledge-based competence of a firm, the management of innovation, and corporate transformation.

Ichijo has published a number of papers in these research areas. His book, "Enabling Knowledge Creation: How to Unlock the Mystery of Tacit Knowledge and Release the Power of Innovation", won the Best Business Book of the Year award 2000 from the Association of American Publisher's Professional and Scientific Publishing division. He has published a number of academic papers, business journal articles, and books worldwide. "Business Despite Borders: Capitalism in the Age of Populist Anti-Globalization" (Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño and Kazuo Ichijo (editors), Palgrave Macmillan, 2018) is one of his recent publications.

Ichijo has been involved in many corporate transformation activities initiated by leading companies as a consultant and as an outside board member.

From 2003 to 2009, Ichijo worked as the first Japanese Professor at IMD. After working as Dean of the School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University Business School for 8 years, in April 2022, Ichijo returned to IMD as a full-time member of IMD’s Faculty, to extend IMD’s international reach, growing its ties with Japan’s business community, and helping drive the development of its future leaders.

He is the holder of a BA (social sciences) and MS (social sciences) from Hitotsubashi University and a Ph.D. (business administration) from the University of Michigan.

James P. Gorman

Chairman and CEO
Morgan Stanley

James P. Gorman became CEO in January 2010 and Chairman in January 2012. He joined the firm in February 2006 and was named Co-President in December 2007.

Before he joined Morgan Stanley, Mr. Gorman held a succession of executive positions at Merrill Lynch, and prior to this was a senior partner of McKinsey & Co. He began his career as an attorney in Melbourne, Australia.

Among his civic activities, Mr. Gorman serves as a Director of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Chair of the Board of Overseers of the Columbia Business School, and is a member of the Financial Services Forum, Business Council and the Business Roundtable. He formerly served as a Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, President of the Federal Advisory Council to the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, Co-Chairman of the Partnership for New York City, Chairman of the Board of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and Co-Chairman of the Business Committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Born in Australia, Mr. Gorman received BA and law degrees from the University of Melbourne, and an MBA degree from Columbia University.

Abhinav Asthana

CEO and Co-Founder
Postman

Abhinav is a developer and entrepreneur who began his career at Yahoo. He started Postman as a side project as he grappled with the complexity of connecting disparate pieces of software via APIs. Existing API tools were primitive, especially when it came to testing and debugging. This inspired Abhinav to create the free Postman app, which quickly drew 500,000 developers with no marketing. Joined by two former workmates, Abhinav launched Postman Inc. in 2014. Today, Postman's API Platform has more than 28 million users worldwide and is spearheading the API-first approach to software development.

Abhinav holds a B.E. (with honors) from India's Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani. Outside of work, Abhinav can be found spending time with his family, reading several books at once, or exploring the newest release on PlayStation 5.

Jean-Pascal Tricoire

Chairman
Schneider Electric

He is the Chairman of Schneider Electric. He previously served as COO of Schneider from 2003, CEO from 2006 to 2011, and Chairman and CEO from 2011 to 2023. Under his leadership, Schneider has transformed and become a technology company leading in software, sustainability, digitization, and electrification. As CEO, he redefined the company’s purpose and technology portfolio, growing the company to four times its size, with revenues and footprint balanced across the globe.

He joined Schneider Electric in 1986 and held various positions across France, Italy, China, South Africa, the United States and Hong Kong. In 2001, he first joined the company’s Executive Committee to take charge of Schneider’s international division.

Hiroyuki Yamada

Co-Chairman
KPMG Japan

Hiroyuki is CEO of KPMG AZSA LLC and Co-Chairman of KPMG Japan. He is a Japan CPA and auditor with over 30 years of experience managing global clients across a range of sectors. He has more than a decade of experience in management roles in audit, people, strategy and planning, and operations.

Junko Tsuboi

Director of the Board, Senior Executive Officer
Kirin Holdings

After graduating from the Faculty of Science at the University of Tokyo, Junko joined Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd. in 1985. She has been involved in various areas such as manufacturing technology, marketing, public relations, corporate branding, and subsidiary management.

In March 2005, she became the Head of Public Relations at Kirin Beverage Co., Ltd. From March 2010 to March 2012, she served as the President and CEO of Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, a cultural and commercial facility in Yokohama Minato Mirai. After that, she held positions as the General Manager of the CSR Promotion and Corporate Communication at Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd. From 2013, she became the Head of Brand Strategy at Kirin Co., Ltd., and in March 2014, she became an Executive Officer.

In 2019, she became an Executive Officer at Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd., and took charge of marketing strategy and brand strategy.

From 2022, she has been in charge of Human Resources and General Affairs Strategy, focusing on promoting talent strategy for Kirin Holdings’ long-term management plan.

In March 2023, she became the first internally appointed female director.

In June 2020, she also assumed the position of an external director at FANCL, a Kirin Group company.

Yuya Soneoka

CEO
ELYZA

Graduated with a Master's degree from Matsuo Laboratory, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo in 2017.

Since 2017, he has worked as a project manager for joint research with companies and as a planner and lecturer for courses in natural language processing at the Matsuo Lab.

In September 2018, he founded ELYZA and became CEO.

Since 2020, he has also served on the board of directors of Matsuo Institute, Inc.

Unexplored Creator. Representative of BattleHack Japan, the world's largest hackathon.

Naoko Ishihara

Head of Hataraku AI & DX laboratory
ExaWizards

After working for a bank and a consulting company, she joined Recruit Works Institute in 2001. Engaged in research around human resource management, she served as editor-in-chief of the journal "Works" from 2015 to 2020 and director of the human resources research section from 2017 to 2022. In April 2022, she moved to ExaWizards Inc., where she became head of Hataraku AI & DX Laboratory. Her areas of expertise include talent management, diversity management, Japanese-style employment system, and organizational transformation. She is the author of "Josei ga Katsuyaku Suru Kaisha" (A Company Where Women Work) (co-authored with Yukio Okubo, Nikkei Bunko). In recent years, she has been focusing on research on reskilling for digital transformation.

Yoshiyuki Suzuki

CEO
COACH A

Yoshiyuki Suzuki has played a pivotal role in pioneering coaching services and coach training in Japan. He was one of the founding members of Coach 21 Co., Ltd., a pioneering coach training company established in 1997. Upon the establishment of the sister company, Coach A Ltd., in October 2001, Suzuki served as Vice President and later assumed the role of President in January 2007. Following the merger of the two companies under the name of COACH A Co., Ltd. in January 2011, Suzuki took charge of leading 120 full-time professional coaches.

Suzuki's diverse background includes a B.A. in Humanities from Keio University and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University.

With over 25 years of experience, he has coached more than 200 executive leaders, specializing in vision-making and creative thinking by fostering dialogue for the evolving future. His expertise extends to leadership development and organizational transformation for business owners and executives at the highest level of domestic and international businesses. Under Suzuki’s leadership, COACH A has expanded its reach, establishing offices in global business centers like New York, Shanghai, Bangkok, and Hong Kong, providing services to multinational corporations worldwide.

In addition to his role as president, Suzuki has authored several books and articles on organizational transformation and effective coaching. He also lectures part-time at Kobe University’s Graduate School of Business Administration.

Rie Kajikawa

Director and CMO
MONEY PARTNERS GROUP

She joined Yamaichi Securities Co., Ltd. in 1991. Thereafter, she has involved in sales in the securities industry for long time.

In 2006, she joined our subsidiary Money Partners Co. In 2018 She was appointed to company's Board of Directors and responsible for the management of the company.

In June 2023, she became the first female director of Money Partners Group, Inc. and was appointed as Director and CMO of the company to present.

Ilham Kadri

CEO
Solvay

Dr. Ilham Kadri, a French-Moroccan, is a world citizen, a scientist, a businesswoman, and a humanist with a rich professional experience across a variety of industries in four continents, including working at Shell, UCB, Huntsman, Dow Chemical and Sealed Air. Under her leadership, she delivered purpose-led transformations leading to sustainable and profitable businesses. Ilham Kadri is the Chair of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a Board Member at AO Smith and L'Oréal.

Jean-Marc Gilson

President and CEO
Mitsubishi Chemical Group

Jean-Marc Gilson is Representative Corporate Executive Officer, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation since April 2021.

He joined Dow Corning in 1989. He has demonstrated leadership in the positions of president or chief executive in charge of business operations at various US and European chemical companies. This includes Executive Vice President, Specialty Chemicals Business at Dow Corning. Then he served as CEO at Avantor Performance Materials in 2011, which was selected by New Mountain Capital, a private equity fund, as their first investment in the chemicals sector. After this, at the request of New Mountain Capital, he served as COO at NuSil Technology in 2012. Prior to the current position, he served as CEO of Roquette, headquartered in France.

Naoshi Takatsu

Managing Partner, Northeast Asia
IMD

Since 2010, as the first Japanese representative of the Switzerland-based business school, IMD, Mr. Takatsu has been supporting Japanese companies in their global executive education, succession planning, and business transformation. He has been involved in the executive development of dozens of Japanese companies by designing corporate customized programs and proposing open programs for learning with executives from around the world. He has also connected the business community in Japan and abroad through case writing, research development, publications, and participation in corporate consortiums.

In 2023, he took part in the launch of the Japan Management Transformation Forum, to promote dialogue and co-creation between CEOs and CXOs of major Japanese companies and IMD, to accelerate the transformation of Japanese businesses and to improve Japan’s competitiveness.

He also focuses on the role of Japanese culture in promoting organizational and individual well-being. He has co-designed sessions for international leaders, working closely with experts of Zen, Ikebana, and Japanese performing and martial arts, and has moderated these sessions for international leaders at Shizenkan University and at IMD's Executive MBA.

Prior to joining IMD, he worked at the Industrial Bank of Japan, Boston Consulting Group, and Recruit, where he was consistently involved in supporting the global expansion of Japanese companies.

Pat Gelsinger

CEO
Intel Corporation

Patrick (Pat) Gelsinger is chief executive officer of Intel Corporation and serves on its board of directors.

Before rejoining Intel in February 2021, Gelsinger was CEO of VMware. In that role, he transformed VMware into a recognized global leader in cloud infrastructure, enterprise mobility and cybersecurity – almost tripling the company’s annual revenues. Gelsinger was also ranked the top CEO in America in 2019 in Glassdoor’s annual employee survey.

Gelsinger began his career in 1979 at Intel, becoming its first chief technology officer and serving as senior vice president and the general manager of the Digital Enterprise Group. He managed the creation of key industry technologies like USB and Wi-Fi.

Gelsinger earned degrees in electrical engineering: an associate degree from Lincoln Technical Institute, a bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University and a master’s degree from Stanford University.

Natsuko Nakamura

Senior Staff Writer
Nikkei Inc.

Graduated from Ochanomizu University, She joined Nikkei as a journalist in 1993 to cover various corporations in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, concurrently to write stories on consumer trends. From January to July 1998, She was nominated to be a member of a project team to run a series of front page stories focusing on women. The column, "Quiet Revolution of Women," was the first of its kind and Ms. Nakamura found her own position in reporting on women and women related issues. From2017 to 2019, she was the founding Editor-in-Chief for NIKKEI The STYLE, Nikkei’s lifestyle magazine. From 2019 to 2021, she was the Chief Editor of Working Women's section. Since April 2021,she has been the senior staff writer. Mainly covers career development, Diversity, consumption, and marketing. She is also a consumer life advisor and career consultant.

Takeshi Kawanami

Editor, Financial and Market News Unit, Editorial Division
Nikkei Inc.

2021 - present
Editor, Financial and Market News Unit, Editorial Division, Tokyo
2015 - 2021
Chief Correspondent Washington Bureau, Washington DC
Covered a range of economic policy and monetary policy in the US, international finance and economy.
2014 to 2015
Deputy Editor Economic News Department Editorial Bureau, Tokyo
Edit the Nikkei economic news. For especially covering economic policy and monetary policy, the banking system in Japan.
2006 - 2014
Staff Writer Economic News Department Editorial Bureau, Tokyo
Covered a range of monetary policy of Bank of Japan and banking system, tax system, trading, 2008-2014 as a full-time general assignment reporter for dailies.
Staff Writer Retail Business News Department Editorial Bureau, Tokyo 1998-2006
Provided many articles about Retailer, Department store, Supermarket, Drug store, E-commerce
1995 - 1998
Staff Headliner Make-up Department Editorial Bureau, Osaka

EDUCATION
CHUO University, TOKYO, BA in Literature, 1995

Akira Oikawa

AI and Quantum Technology Editor
Nikkei Inc.

Akira Oikawa has been covering science and technology news since he first joined Nikkei Inc. in 2005. Early in his career, he worked on topics such as international negotiations for climate change countermeasures, nuclear issues after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident and science and technology policy. Oikawa’s more recent work includes articles on cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computers, and he has been the AI Quantum Editor since 2020, after he completed studies at the University of California, USA. Through interviews with experts and others, Oikawa will explore the future directions of technological evolution, which will drastically change our economy, work and lifestyles.

Akio Fujii

Chair of Editorial Board
Nikkei Inc.

Since he joined in 1985, he has held various positions with Nikkei, including being the Bank of Japan and Ministry of Finance correspondent, New York Bureau Correspondent, Chief Correspondent for economic affairs at Washington Bureau from 1998 to 2002, London based Senior Writer from 2009 to 2011 and Washington Bureau Chief from 2012 to 2014.

He has also served as Senior Editor for International News Department, Editor-in-Chief for Nikkei Asian Review (Currently "Nikkei Asia") from 2015 to 2016, Senior Managing Editor, Head of Global News Operations from 2016 to 2017, Senior Editorial Writer from 2017 to 2020.

He covered issues related to global governance, economic policy and international finance.

Fujii obtained his BA in Economics from Waseda University in Tokyo.

Main publication:
G20-The Great Game in 21stCentury (2011 Nikkei)
Yellen’s Federal Reserve (2013 Nikkei)
Introduction for Japan’s Economy (2018 Nikkei)
Ambition of Libra (2019 Nikkei)
New Introduction for Japan’s Economy (2021 Nikkei)

Kaori Takahashi

Senior Producer
Nikkei Inc.

Kaori Takahashi is Senior Producer at Global Events, Nikkei Inc. Before taking the role in 2023, she was head of newsroom at Nikkei CNBC and was also Senior Staff Writer at Nikkei.

Entering Nikkei in 1994, Takahashi has reported for the City News, International News, Lifestyle, and Business News sections. She spent five years from 2013 as Nikkei's first female Sydney Bureau Chief, covering politics, global resources, and international trade issues across the Pacific and East Asia.

Her period as Sydney Bureau Chief brought two editor's prizes for breaking news: one for groundbreaking concessions that secured Japan’s first broad trade agreement with a major agricultural exporter, and the other for Toyota's withdrawal from production in Australia. She commentated on Asia issues for Australian media.

Kaori graduated from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Between 1990 and 1991 she studied at St. Anne’s College, Oxford University.

Francesca Regalado

Staff Writer of Editorial Headquarters for Asia
Nikkei Inc.

She has been based in Bangkok since 2022 and has written extensively on business, politics, society, and culture for Nikkei Asia. A native of the Philippines, she worked as an intern for a news agency in New York in 2016 and as a researcher for a newspaper bureau in Washington, D.C. in 2017, before being selected as the inaugural 2018-19 Columbia-Nikkei scholar and studying investigative reporting at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism until 2019. in 2019. After joining Nikkei, she reported on diplomacy, climate issues, and cryptocurrencies at the Tokyo headquarters, where she interviewed numerous government officials and visiting dignitaries. She is fluent in English, Tagalog, and Russian, and speaks conversational Japanese and Thai.

Sawako Oiwa

Senior Staff Writer
Nikkei Inc.

After graduating from Tokyo university of Foreign Studies, Sawako Oiwa joined Nikkei Inc. in 1996. She was first assigned to the Marketing News Department and reported on the retail industry especially on stores, restaurants, convenience stores, and consumer products companies for a long time. When Oiwa was a desk editor of Nikkei MJ, she widened her coverage range to Net business, service industry among other areas. In April 2018 Oiwa became an editorial board member, and currently a Senior Staff Writer. A part-time lecturer at Doshisha University.

Keiichi Murayama

Commentator
Nikkei Inc.

Keiichi Murayama formerly served as the U.S. Silicon Valley bureau chief of Nikkei Inc., and was a senior staff writer and an editorial writer of Nikkei. After earning his undergraduate degree at Tohoku University in 1992, he joined the Business News Department of Nikkei in Tokyo as a staff writer. He covered technology, medical, automotive, and financial news. After he joined the Program on US-Japan Relations of Harvard University, he went on to oversee the U.S. Silicon Valley Bureau for a few years.

He's authored "Rise and Fall of the IT Empire - Steve Jobs Revolution" and "STARTUP - Real of Entrepreneurs".

Atsushi Nakayama

Commentator
Nikkei Inc.

Atsushi Nakayama is an expert in industrial and managerial trends in the automotive, transport, and electronics industries. He worked as a senior staff writer and as an editorial writer before starting his current position in February of 2017. He has performed lectures on topics such as "GE and Toshiba" and "The Future of Mobility". He was stationed in New York during the 9/11 terror attacks and provided reporting on them.

Waka Matsumoto

Editor-in-chief of THE NIKKEI MAGAZINE
Nikkei Inc.

Waka Matsumoto is a founder and Editor-in-chief of THE NIKKEI MAGAZINE. She has been covering fashion, trends, and consumer spending.

Before taking the role in April, 2023, she was a staff writer, senior staff writer, and editor in the Marketing News Department, Lifestyle news Department, and Business News Department. She engaged in launching the women's section of The NIKKEI and editing NIKKEI The STYLE. Her most recent book is "OBSESSION: The Power to Persist" (Nihon Keizai Shimbun Publishing Co., Ltd.)

She graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree from Waseda University and joined Nikkei.

She also studied Fashion business in Paris from 2002 to 2003.

Makoto Kajiwara

Commentator
Nikkei Inc.

Makoto Kajiwara is a commentator for Nikkei. His focus is global capital markets and corporate news.

In 2007 Kajiwara became the Nikkei’s youngest editorial writer. From 2009 to 2011 he was on special assignment in New York to cover the post-crash American economy. From 2015 to 2017, he was a Hong Kong based columnist covering economic news across Asia. He returned to Tokyo in 2017.

From 2002 to 2006 he was the Nikkei’s chief New York correspondent, where he was responsible for covering capital markets and corporate news.

Previous to that, he served as a staff writer in the Capital Market and Corporate News Department in Tokyo from 1997 to 2002 and as a correspondent in the newspaper’s Seoul bureau from 1994 to 1997.

Kajiwara graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Japan’s Waseda University in 1988 and joined Nikkei in the same year. He also studied Korean at Yonsei University in South Korea from 1992 to 1993.

Yo Tanaka

Senior Staff Writer
Nikkei Inc.

Yo Tanaka is a senior staff writer of the Economic Commentary Department, Nikkei Inc. He graduated from Keio University in 1985 and joined Nikkei Inc. In 1990, he became a staff writer for the Marketing News Department.

Tanaka reported on department stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, and foodservice companies for a long time. From 2002, he worked as a senior staff writer in the Marketing News Department (2002), Nikkei Business (2006), consumption industrial Department (2009) and Business News Department (2009). He has held the current position since 2015.

He was also the commentator for "Nikkei plus 10" on BS JAPAN and an anchor on "Evening Express" on Nikkei CNBC. He is an adjunct instructor at Tokyo Institute of Technology as well.

Tanaka is the author of "SEVEN-ELEVEN Endless Innovation" and "Survival of Department Stores", the co-author of "New Pricing Revolution", "Fall of the Daiei Castle", and "A Very Easy-to-understand Guide to the Japanese Economy", and the co-translator of "My Life with Marketing" by Philip Kotler, among other publications.

Akito Tanaka

Senior Staff Writer, Nikkei Asia Chief business news correspondent
Nikkei Inc. (Based in Singapore)

Akito Tanaka is a senior staff writer for Nikkei and Nikkei Asia's Chief business news correspondent, covering the technology sector from Singapore. Tanaka has twenty years of reporting experience and has also been covering global companies in both Japan and the United States. Tanaka graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, with BA in political science. He spent his childhood years in Lisbon, Portugal, attending the American International School.

Kunio Saijo

Senior Staff Writer
Nikkei Inc.

Graduated from Liberal Arts Faculty of the University of Tokyo and joined Nikkei in 1987.

Main coverage is automobile, transportation and energy industry.

New York correspondent from September 1997 to August 2001.

Joined Editorial Committee of Nikkei in March 2012.
NIKKEI IMD