When a company experiences success in it’s home market, it’s influence begins to spread. Foreigners visiting that market see the products and interest can spread via word of mouth or marketing efforts.

Many companies opt for selecting a company in foreign markets to promote, sell and service their products in a foreign country. This is how Stokke of Norway entered Japan almost 40 years ago with their by now iconic Tripp Trapp high chair.

In the November C8 meeting, we’ll have special guest Jan Steiner. He is the president of Stokke Japan, the baby goods brand who went from a joint venture relationship, to a direct sales operation in a matter of months. Mr. Steiner will share insights on items such as

-Learning how to influence the channels in Japan
-From old to new. HR issues and how to find the right people for Japan.
-Syncing a global brand with a local market

Mr. Steiner is not new to starting business in Japan. He’s one of the original 6 from Sweden who fired up the IKEA business in the land of the rising sun.

Date- Thursday, 14 Nov 2013 1230PM-1400PM
Venue-
Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- Italian Restaurant- La Cucina
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

Looking at the stock market of any country 50 years ago we see a very different set up companies then what we have now. In some cases, we see only 1 or 2 companies that continue on in business for multiple generations.

Businesses are not just about providing great products and services. They are also about experience for not only the customer, but also the employee. With a shrinking market of hard-working youth, the challenges could be amplified.

What can CEOs and the management team do to build the next generation of leadership? What ethics, operations, and business operations are necessary for creating a business that will last? What things must we stick to in our corporate culture, and what must we ditch?

This will prove to be a very enlightening discussion as the topic was chosen by you.

Date- Friday, 8 Nov 1230PM-1400PM
Venue-
Bangkok Kitchen (Yurakucho)
Ginza Gurasse Building 8F
3-2-15 Ginza
Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Tel.03-3561-3181
http://www.bangkok-kitchen.com/yurakucho/index.html

Pls ask for C20/Private Room

Oakwood and AINEO Networks are pleased to sponsor the Fall CEO Forum of 2013.

The CEO Forum is a gathering of CEOs from the world’s leading companies running businesses in Asia and Australia connecting and sharing insights.

The event is on Wednesday, 23 October from 7PM. There is more information here.

Fall CEO Forum

What Every CEO Must Know About The Protection of Confidential Business Information

Countless of companies have learned the hard way about how important it is to protect confidential business information in China. Key team members have been stolen, company secrets have been leaked, and some companies have seen their products outright copied and just re-tagged with another brand-name. That’s China, but how about Japan?

Japan is a much easier country for Western companies to do business in, but that doesn’t mean it’s devoid of challenges. The CEO must have a knowledgeable team but also understand for themselves what they need to be doing to protect confidential information within their enterprise. The CEO must understand-

1) How to protect confidential information, IP, processes with the team

2) Keep your information out of the hands of the competitor

3) The extend of the law and practice for copyright and other intellectual property issues.

At the Fall CEO Forum, seasoned Japan-based international attorney Mr. Jean-Denis Marx will be presenting insights in these areas and kicking off a discussion at our exclusive event on insights of what every CEO must know about protecting confidential company information.

Join us at the Fall CEO Forum. Space is limited.

Registration is required and is online here.

Looking forward to another enlightening meeting.

This month we will draw on our own expertise and dive into a topic no CEOs in Japan can ignore: China.

Every CEO has to deal with China in one way or the other; as a growing market, as an emerging competitor, the new focus of headquarters’ attention. Where do we stand in Japan?

Among all major countries, Japanese dislike and distrust China by far the most. On the other hand, Japanese firms are among the strongest investors in China. In 2012, Japanese firms bucked the trend of overall declining foreign investment into China by raising their investments from Japan by a hefty 16 percent.

At the C20, we’ll hear from member CEO businesses about the current state of relations between Japan and China. Things that will likely be covered are-

-Is the Senkaku issue really a threat for our business?
-Is there a downward revision in China’s economy and how does/will it affect us?
-What is the status of our personnel exchange between Japan and China?

Date- Friday, 11 October 2013
1230PM-1400PM

Venue-
2F Washington Room
Tokyo American Club
2-1-2 Azabudai
Minato-ku Tokyo 106-8649

As a society that is very much post-industrial age and deeply into the digital age, many of the challenges for companies of yesteryear have changed for the firms of today.  However, for human resources, many of the challenges remain the same.  Finding good people, training them to be better, and keeping them in your business taking good care of the clients is essential..

In the October CEO Luncheon, we’ll be talking about what happens inside the office and how to keep the balance between motivating the team but also keeping the environment interesting so that you can retain a great team.  We’ll be discussing areas such as-

-Must have programs for building your team intuitively
-Identifying strong leaders, developing them and empowering them
-Corporate image- what to protect and what to eject

Date- Thursday, 10 October 2013 1230PM-1400PM
Venue-
Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- Italian Restaurant- La Cucina
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

Japan has many sales points that attract interest from around the world.  The advanced cities, the hard working population, and the highly effecient transportation system are standouts.  But if you have spent much time in Tokyo, you know that food in Japan is usually top notch.  Japanese have high standards for what is grown, imported, or raised before it is put before them.

In the September CEO (C8 Meeting), one of our own CEOs will give us his insights of over 28 years in the Japanese food business.  Ernest Higa is well-known for bringing Domino Pizza to Japan.  However that is the tip of the iceberg for Ernie and his company Higa Industries.  He runs restaurants but he also imports various foods into Japan.  His family is well-versed in the industry from his Japanese American father in Hawaii to even his older sister who is running a food manufacturing business in Japan.

Ernie will share insights on
-What makes the Japanese business so different from the U.S.
-Current challenges for the industry
-Insights on his new Wendy’s hamburger venture which Higa Industries reopened in Month 2011.

Date- Thursday, 12 September 2013 1230PM-1400PM
Venue-
Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- Italian Restaurant- La Cucina
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

Date– Friday, 13 September 2013
1230PM-1400PM
Venue-Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- Italian Restaurant- La Cucina
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

Our time as corporate executives seems to last forever especially in a challenging environment.  However, eventually there will be a time when we step down and out of the corporate ranks.  While some of we can enjoy ourselves in playing golf every day, others cannot stop “working” even if they can afford to.

In the August C8, we’ll have Mr. Hiro Ueda sharing some insights on the new lifestyle to work as freelance worker.  Mr. Ueda was raised in Japan, but has lived in the US and worked with Deloitte and Morgan Stanley.  He is currently running RGP Japan and will share insights on

– The secret of freelance workers
– How do leverage the various elements of your team
– Keeping the business balance

Date- Friday, 8 August 2013 1230PM-1400PM
Venue-
Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- Italian Restaurant- La Cucina
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan