The recent 108 days incarceration of Carlos Ghosn has raised many passionate debates and questions of Japan’s law enforcement:  “how it is done and what CAN and CANNOT be done.”

In our April luncheon, we are fortunate to have Mr. James Moynihan join us, an expert on law enforcement and intellectual property (IP), to answer that very question.

Mr. Moynihan, currently the Director of Louis Vuitton Intellectual Property Department/Japan office (since 2007), has been in Japan a total of 25 years on five separate tours.  His first tour dates back to 1971-1972 at Sophia University/University of Notre Dame Year-In-Japan Program.  As the FBI Special Agent/Attorney from 1981 to 2006, New York State Prosecutor from 1979 to 1981, and General Motors Corporation Labor Lawyer from 1977 to 1979, Mr. Moynihan has accumulated a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and case history.

In addition to discussing law enforcement (i.e. criminal procedure law, extraditions, deportation, evidentiary assistance matters, etc.) Mr. Moynihan is happy to discuss and/or field any question on:  Asian organized crime, international terrorism investigations, Japan Red Army investigations, development and use of informant/confidential sources of information; security measures for special events such as the 2019 Japan Rugby World Cup or 2020 Tokyo Olympics; or about intellectual property (IP) enforcement from an IP right holder’s perspective.

You will not want to miss this one!

Date – Friday, 12 April 2019 1230PM-1400PM
Venue –
Roppongi Hills Club: Roppongi Hills Club- La Cucina (Italian)
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

The Edelman Trust Barometer, the world’s largest survey of trust in institutions conducted in 28 countries shows that only 40% of Japanese employees trust the company they work for. This is somewhat counter intuitive given the image of the self-sacrificing, all for the company image that is held about Japans salarymen. Ross will address this and other issues including what is behind the Trump phenomenon and rising populism in the world’s advanced economies.

March’s CEO Insights meeting will welcome Edelman’s Japan boss, Mr. Ross Rowbury. Ross has been living and working in Japan for 35 years. Originally working in finance, Ross moved to the public relations industry some twenty years ago. Over that period he has been advising executives from both Japanese and non-Japanese companies on communications strategy and implementation.

Date– Tuesday, 12 March 1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
Roppongi Hills Club- Private Dining Room – The Horizon Room
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

Profit and loss, looking at the deals in the pipeline, and talking about how to grow a business are all very important roles of corporate leadership. However, to bring longevity and growth to our businesses, there is more than just number crunching.

In our March luncheon, we are please to welcome back Mr. Philippe Grall. Mr. Grall will be sharing on the power of putting dreams back into ourselves and in our organizations. As an accomplished executive coach and leadership trainer, he has been able to help transform several businesses here in Japan to become national competitors. He will engage you on how to cultivate the role of the dreamer, the realists, and the critic in your organization.

Philippe got great reviews after his last visit to CI and we look forward to seeing him again!

More About Mr. Grall-
Mr. Grall is the founder of Equilibre k.k. in 2006. He is an executive coach for several leading brands in Japan.
His clients are famous international brands (luxury, fashion, Food, retailer) and pharmaceutical industry. Philippe is a member of Marshall Goldsmith 100 coaches since 2017.

Date – Friday, 8 Mar 2019 1230PM-1400PM
Venue –
Roppongi Hills Club: Roppongi Hills Club- The Horizon Room
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

 Timothy Langley from Langley Esquire, and fellow CI network member will be hosting this quarter’s OTR.

 I’m very much looking forward to hosting the OTR dinner in three-weeks. 

The Details:

WHEN: Thursday, February 28th: 18:00-20:20

WHERE:Hacienda Del Cielo  (fabulous Mexican in Daikanyama!) 9F Mansard Daikanyama Building, 10-1 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku,                  Tokyo 150-0033                  Phone: 03-5457-1521    Google Map here

COST :  Cover-charge ¥2500 (plus tax) – CASH ONLY please                 Food provided (see menu below) … drinks-as-you-go, Nomihoudai (all-you-can-drink) possible for additional ¥2500 (plus tax) (see drink menu, below)

I think that’s pretty sweet for a Mexican restaurant. Plus, it’s a fun place… we’d have the upstairs just to ourselves; should be enough for 20 people or so! RSVP to guarantee your seat! 

Looking forward to seeing you then!
Very best regards,
Timothy

If you are CEO representing an international or even domestic brand, you must be aware of the laws and business practices around your business.  The recent trouble at the Japanese automotive manufacturer has certainly brought that light.  ‘What you don’t know, can’t hurt you’, is a fairy tale.  As the representative director, you must know your market and the CEO Meetings bring together bosses and experts that will either educate or update the c-level.  

In February, the CI welcomes back Jean-Denis Marx, a partner with Baker & McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise).  With Mr. Marx, we plan to get updates and discuss

1. Japanese criminal procedure or, what should you do if a prosecutor drops into your private jet?
2. . Japanese labor law: is the white collar overtime exemption coming for real?
3. New privacy law: the EU and Japan adopted an adequacy decision on January 23, what has changed?

Date– Tuesday, 12 February 2018

Time- 1230PM-1400PM

Venue– Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- La Cucina Restaurant (Italian)51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

“Culture change” continues to be a buzzword in business. Many companies want it. Many invest huge energy into making it happen. Most fail. (According to a various studies, up to 90% of companies do not achieve the outcomes they set out for.) Why is culture change so elusive? 

Christopher Domitter, currently Senior Vice President, Communications at MetLife Japan, has strong views on why this is the case based on his own experience across several industries and markets in Asia. Drawing from his background as head of a wide range of corporate communications disciplines including employee engagement, sponsorship and CSR, as well as a branding and identity consultant, Christopher will lead and provoke interesting discussion around the dimensions of success and what constitutes global best practice.  

Christopher is from Vancouver Canada. He has lived in Asia for close to 25 years, including Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Malaysia, working in the sports, banking, pharma and insurance sectors. He has developed brand positioning and verbal identity strategies for famous brands such as Nikon and Nissan. He is a top-notch analog photographer, a discipline (among others) that informs his understanding of design thinking – a mindset that underpins much of his approach to solving communications challenges.

Date – Friday, 8 Feb 2019 1230PM-1400PM
Venue –
Roppongi Hills Club: Roppongi Hills Club- La Cucina Restaurant
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

January brings many new thoughts and resolutions. Gyms are crowded with business people trying to get healthy for the first month or so of the year. As the CEO, we don’t have the luxury of ‘letting our guard down’ in business. We must be thinking and anticipating what market forces will do for our brand, what products will blow out, and what products or services to put on the back burner.

In the first CEO Insights Network luncheon of the year, we will have to take a look at what we expect to see in 2019. Specifically, we will discuss three areas

Economic- Will we have boom or bust? What are customers looking for? Where will the USD, JPY, EURO head?
Political- What will the government be doing that may affect our staffing, our taxation, our operations costs? Is there any PC (political correctness) initiative that may hit?
Personal- How do you deal with the head office? What are the growth areas for investments in the new year? How can I be more productive personally?

You will leave the CI meeting enlightened, and no doubt inspired.

Date– Friday, 11 Jan 2019 1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- La Cucina Restaurant
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

P.S. In the closing moments of the meeting, we will be discussing planned speakers/topics in 2019 discussed thus far.

January brings many new thoughts and resolutions.  Gyms are crowded with business people trying to get healthy for the first month or so of the year.  As the CEO, we don’t have the luxury of ‘letting our guard down’ in business.  We must be thinking and anticipating what market forces will do for our brand, what products will blow out, and what products or services to put on the back burner.

In the first CEO Insights Network luncheon of the year, we will have to take a look at what we expect to see in 2019.  Specifically, we will discuss three areas

• Economic- Will we have boom or bust? What are customers looking for? Where will the USD, JPY, EURO head?
• Political- What will the government be doing that may affect our staffing, our taxation, our operations costs?  Is there any PC (political correctness) initiative that may hit?
• Personal- How do you deal with the head office?  What are the growth areas for investments in the new year?  How can I be more productive personally?

You will leave the CI meeting enlightened, and no doubt inspired.

As yet another year closes, many executive offices are reviewing what worked and what didn’t, what sold and what didn’t, what blew up and what overflowed. In addition to national responsibility, many of our member CEOs have other countries in Asia as well as Australia/New Zealand reporting to them. Growth is about reflecting on management mistakes as well as building management successes.

The December CEO Insights meetings is one of the most popular and well attended meetings as executives get ready for the Christmas holidays and year’s end. This will be likely be your last chance to rub elbows with Asia’s top Tokyo-based CEOs and leadership.

The meeting
Date– Tuesday, 4 Dec 1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- Star Anise Restaurant
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

As yet another year closes, many executive offices are reviewing what worked and what didn’t, what sold and what didn’t, what blew up and what overflowed. In addition to national responsibility, many of our member CEOs have other countries in Asia as well as Australia/New Zealand reporting to them. Growth is about reflecting on management mistakes as well as building management successes.

The December CEO Insights meetings is one of the most popular and well attended meetings as executives get ready for the Christmas holidays and year’s end. This will be likely be your last chance to rub elbows with Asia’s top Tokyo-based CEOs and leadership.

The meeting
Date – Thursday, 6 Dec 1230PM-1400PM
Venue –
Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- Star Anise Restaurant
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan