The CEO Insights group was founded in 2004 for a reason. For top leaders to share things that work. Companies are not just about selling a product or service, business is also about who is selling those products. Who are the leaders of that brand, what is their vision, and where are they taking things?

In the April CI Luncheon, we’ll be addressing why it is important for a CEO to have a personal mission and contrast that with ambition. You will hear some real “case study” type of experience with CEOs as well as insights from our guest speaker Mr. Philippe Grall.

Mr. Grall is runs équilibre k.k. and has been a very positive force on many foreign CEOs in Japan as well as Japanese companies and their teams. You will have an opportunity to reflect under Phlippe’s experienced hand.

Date– Tuesday, 12 April 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

Philippe’s Background:
After six years of experience at Autobacs Seven Co. Ltd. in Tokyo, and helping the firm go international, Philippe Grall set up équilibre k.k. in 2006. équilibre k.k. is a coaching company for leaders. Following his passion to support executives to become inspirational leaders, Philippe uses his unique coaching approach to help them develop their personal leadership.
Corporate leaders working with équilibre k.k. have found inspiration. This inspiration has shifted their motivation from personal ambitions to finding their mission and ultimately having a tremendous positive influence on their organizations. Philippe has coached more than 100 premium brand Top-Executives and now is a well-recognized executive leadership coach in Japan.

Diversity in the workplace, especially at middle and senior management levels, has now come to be globally accepted as one of the critical levers for getting the best out of people and creating value. Even in Japan, with the Abe administration pushing “womenomics” to create “a society where every individual can shine”, diversity has emerged on the corporate agenda as a mainstream item.

Notwithstanding, getting the most out of your female workforce requires more than government policy, especially in an inherently male-dominated culture like Japan. Elizabeth Masamune, Managing Director of @Asia Associates Japan, will explain what you need to know about the new Promotion of Women’s Career Activities Act coming into effect from April 2016. Equally importantly, she will provide insights into the leadership and development barriers that Japanese female professionals face, and the reasons that so many of them hesitate to ask for more.

Date– Thursday, 14 April 1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
Roppongi Hills Club- La Cucina
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan　

Elizabeth has spent 25 years in Asia as a senior diplomat with the Australian Trade Commission, and over 15 years in Japan. Fluent in Japanese, she currently serves on advisory boards and advises clients on cross cultural communication, cultural intelligence and initiatives aimed at supporting women in business.

We are pleased to invite you to the 2016 Spring CEO Insights Forum (CIF). The CIF is a semi-annual gathering of 30 plus company c-levels for connecting, networking, and insights. This is all done over great food and free flowing drink. All at Oakwood’s new hotel facility just adjacent to Tokyo Station.

Past CIF meetings have brought in leadership of Amazon, American Express, ToysRus, Sumitomo, Mitsubishi, Major League Baseball, Saatchi & Saatchi, and many other insightful speakers. In this year’s Spring event, we are pleased to have two great speakers and lots of time for Q&A and networking with other top executives of some of the world’s most influential brands.

In the Spring CIF, we will have two interesting executive speakers. One will be Mr. Toshitake KUROSAWA from METI. He is the Deputy Director-General, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau. He will be sharing on how MNCs (multi-national corporations) can maximize their dealings with the Japanese government.

In addition, we will be welcoming Mr. Peter Landers, the Tokyo Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal, a Dow Jones company. Mr. Landers is also a writer and seasoned presenter and will be giving his take on the Japan of the future. What Japanese companies will look like in 15 years, and how multi-nationals corporations can prepare for future business.

Don’t miss this opportunity to network with the Japan’s top business leaders. Space is limited so please book your seat soon by using our online registration

We look forward to seeing you there!

Event– Spring CEO Insights Forum (CIF)
Date– Wednesday, 25 May 2016
Time– 7PM-830PM
Venue– Oakwood Primere Tokyo (@ Tokyo Station)
1-8-2 Marunouchi,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 100-0005 – Venue info here.
Cost-8,500 Yen
Registration Closes 14 May, 5PM

Sign up here via our online registration. We will be focusing on the event that evening therefore invoices and payments will be completed prior to event day.

**The CEO Insights Forum is a focus group of c-level (CEO, CFO, COO..) executives of leading firms.

When we began our jobs, we worked on the line and talked with clients directly and dealt with our teams. We had a good understanding of what the customer wanted and how our teams were doing in delivering service.

However, as we rose in the ranks and entered into the c-suite, it sometimes becomes more of a challenge to keep a finger on the pulse of the business and what exactly the customer wants.

In the March CI luncheon, you will be inspired as we discuss how to enhance the customer experience and several case studies.

See you in March!

Date– Thursday, 17 March 1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
Roppongi Hills Club- Star Anise
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

Running a company is no easy matter. There are not just issues of profit and loss but also regulatory, legal, and operational issues that a c-level must be thinking about. When the company is a homogeneous group of people, business is complicated. However, when you are a multinational l corporation (MNC) in a multicultural environment, you’ve got additional challenges to consider on top of the usual ones of business model and governance.

In the March CI meeting, Laurent Depus, CEO of Natixis Japan will be sharing his insights on how to avoid the pits and falls of a multinational experience. Laurent not only runs an MNC but also sits on the board of an influential Japanese institution and sees these things first hand.

Come join us for another insightful lunch in March!

Date– Friday, 18 March 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

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.

September’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, 15 March 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

The difference between good and great may vary with individual opinions.  However, there is no doubt that great businesses are built by exceptional leadership.  What does being a great leader mean to the CEO ?  Have you ever worked with someone who inspired you and was your role model?

Philippe Grall has been coaching CEOs and other executives in various industries. In all cases, he faces the same issues: lack of team spirit and communication problems. In most situations, managers put pressure on their teams and are obsessed with controlling them.  In addition, the managers focus on what’s wrong with the team and the weaknesses that need improving. As a result, team members have a low motivation and can’t really enjoy what they do. The effect is that people tend to protect themselves and are afraid to propose ideas and take risks.

Great leaders are still a minority. They think and behave very differently with their teams compared to the majority of leaders.

At this month’s CI lunch, you will learn and experience how great leaders think, feel and act. You will leave with some new insights and methods that you will be able to implement from the next day and start to be the leader you would want to work for.

Date– Thursday, 18 February 1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- La Cucina
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

Philippe’s Background:

After six years of experience at Autobacs Seven Co. Ltd. in Tokyo, and helping the firm go international, Philippe Grall set up équilibre k.k. in 2006. équilibre k.k. is a coaching company for leaders.  Following his passion to support executives to become inspirational leaders, Philippe uses his unique coaching approach to help them develop their personal leadership.

Corporate leaders working with équilibre k.k. have found inspiration. This inspiration has shifted their motivation from personal ambitions to finding their mission and ultimately having a tremendous positive influence on their organizations.  Philippe has coached more than 100 premium brand Top-Executives and now is a well-recognized executive leadership coach in Japan.

For the business professional, the basics of “buy low, sell high” is a fundamental of how every company trades worldwide.  However, selling a car as a car dealer has different trading requirements than the business of fulfilling a prescription as the pharmacist.  Every profession has the similar standard business practice foundation, but also has varying requirements within their business.  With the increase in government regulatory requirements, legal changes, natural and man-made disasters, and a global environment, and many other dynamic variables, the world is changing.  Companies must be more aware of the risks of doing business.

Insurance is a business all about understanding risk and managing those risks.  In this month’s CI lunch, CEOs will have a chance to hear about risk management.  Specifically risk management from the insurance business directly from AIG Japan KK’s CEO, Mr. Robert L. Noddin.  He’ll be sharing on Risk Management and Why it Really (Really) matters.  We will be discussing real business issues and examples such as

• Potted history of insurance risk management in Japan: Keiretsu to Case Agents to ….something new?
• Case study: Thai floods and the Great Eastern Earthquake in Japan – a surprising comparison of claims paid
• Japan: Significant premium pool; Worryingly low commercial coverage relative to insurable interests
• What does a sophisticated risk management structure look like?

Date– Friday, 12 February 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

The first full revision of the Japanese privacy law should have been adopted in 2015 but the June leak at the Japan Pension Service aborted the whole process. The law should have another chance this year.

In 2015, a EU court struck down the safe harbor rule that had governed data transfers between the US and Japan for 15 years. The EU is preparing for a complete overhaul of its privacy legislation in 2017. The Japanese METI has also been active on data transfers. The Japanese law on business secrets has also been amended recently.

All these issues will particularly affect international businesses, those that sell in Japan while handling customer data on servers located in the US or the EU for instance. In the January CI C8 meeting, Jean-Denis Marx, a partner with Baker & McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise) will share his insights on the latest in privacy and how it could affect your business.

Date– Thursday, 14 January 1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- Proteus
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan