Executive Impact
Prime location: Eli Lilly’s Patrik Jonsson on Kobe’s strengths
Kobe’s strong infrastructure for scientific and medical research has attracted many companies from around the world, including Eli Lilly. The Indianapolis, IN-based pharmaceutical developer, which is a Corporate Sustaining Member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), set up its Japan headquarters in the city. To find out why, The ACCJ Journal interviewed… Read
Global and local creative: How Williams Lea Tag is making it happen in the market
Williams Lea Tag was founded in 1820 and has grown to be a leading independent provider of marketing and communications services with 10,000 staff in more than 180 countries. Today, about 80% of its employees work outside the UK. Japan is a key market for this British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) member as it… Read
HARMAN Professional Solutions: How AV equipment impacts everyday life
Ramesh Jayaraman is a seasoned business leader, with a deep knowledge of Asia and a long-running association with the technology industry. Currently he serves as vice president and general manager for HARMAN Professional Solutions, the world’s leading supplier of audio, video, controls and lighting solutions. Originally from India and currently… Read
Matching women’s lifestyles with compatible corporate cultures
Many companies in Japan still believe that change is too risky. They don’t realize that if they don’t change, they’ll die. This is what women in business champion Satomi Fuluya told The ACCJ Journal when asked why work style reform moves more slowly in Japan than many would like. And when… Read
Why we should celebrate all types of women In Japan: An interview with Melanie Brock
She’s the first in the office every morning and somehow has time to put on an immaculate full face of makeup and curl her hair. She’s climbing the corporate ladder in a slightly liberal yet still respectable Japanese corporation, all while looking oshare and feminine in matching suits and heels. She married before… Read
Born free: Ex-returnee Rui Yamashita and the raw art of entrepreneurship
“I’ve travelled and lived in many countries, but I honestly feel that Kenya is a place where people are generally positive and happy—even if some don’t have much.” When Rui Yamashita speaks about her adopted home in East Africa, she does so with a passion that’s immediate, authentic, and infectious. A Japan-born… Read
Exposing travelers to Japan’s hidden treasures
Spending summers with her maternal grandparents in Fukushima Prefecture as a child, UK-born Niki Micklem gained a deep understanding of Japan’s regions. Her British–Japanese heritage also fostered her desire to help bridge Japan and the world. In April 2018, she found the means to do so: a sales and marketing… Read
Startup in the sky: SME makes space for satellites
Naomi Kurahara can’t quite remember how her love of science, engineering, and space came about. It may have originated from a book or article she read as a child. Or was it the shows and movies she watched at the time—"Star Trek," "Star Wars" and the Japanese sci-fi animation "Space… Read
Globalinx: Developing organizational capabilities for global business
Globalinx specializes in providing training, consulting, and coaching services to companies with a global outlook. The company helps organizations to compete globally by specializing in leadership development, management training, business communication skills and global project management training. Kevin Reynolds, who is Leadership and Organizational Development Consultant for Globalinx, first worked with… Read
Bringing purpose to trailing spouses with coach Jodi Harris
World Tree Coaching turns five this month. For its globetrotting founder, Jodi Harris, it’s a time to celebrate what she has achieved and, as she prepares for another expat placement next year, to reflect on the strong sense of self and of home required to run a global business. Growing… Read
