2018 March G3 – The European Union GDPR is Coming In On May 25. Are You Ready?

One year after the full implementation of the revised Japanese data privacy law, the European Union new data privacy regulation is coming into force on May 25. It applies to all EU citizens data wherever collected or processed, and the potential fines for violation are staggering. Now is a good time to see if you are prepared, to see what needs to be done, and what can still be done. Jean-Denis Marx, a partner with Baker McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise), will share his insights on the EU law, placing it within the larger context of the changes that took place in Japan.

Date: March 13, 2018 (Tuesday)
Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Venue: Roppongi Hills Club – Italian Restaurant – La Cucina
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151

2018 March C28 – Understanding The Risks Of An Internet Connected Business

You think only kidnappers ask for ransom? You will be surprised to know that the ransoms now being paid by computer owners are much higher than those the poor kidnappers collect. Mahendra Negi, CFO of Trend Micro, will provide an update on what is making Ransomware become the biggest pain point for all computer/network users, individuals and companies alike. Mr. Negi will also talk about the steps and measures we can take to minimize the risk of losing access to our own systems. Join us in discussing the significance of maximizing cyber security and defense as we live in the midst of a rapidly developing, technologically advancing world.

About Mahendra Negi
Mahendra Negi is CFO and a member of the board of the cyber security and defense company Trend Micro. He specializes in IT and software, and has been recognized for his exceptional skills by leading business publications such as Institutional Investor Magazine and the Nikkei Shinbun as the “No. 1 Internet Analyst in Japan” and “No. 2 Software Analyst.”

Date: March 8, 2018 (Thursday)
Time: 12:30pm to 2:00pm
Venue: Roppongi Hills Club – Proteus
51F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi Minato-ku, 106-6151

February 2018 Announcements

Dear CEOs,

We are pleased to inform you about some upcoming news:

  • Hideki Matsubara at Miele has arranged an interesting event with the Swiss Chamber of Commerce later this month (Feb. 19). Architect Mr. Kengo Kuma will be discussing “Natural Architecture” at the luncheon. Please see details here if you would like to attend.
  • In other news, our own Antony Strianese has been elected president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce. Please be sure to congratulate him the next time you see him!

Please let us know about any other announcements we can share with the CI network!

2018 Feb G3 – The Business Outlook: What External Factors to Watch

2017 brought us much news of the elected US President and more than what we wanted to hear about Brexit. In 2018, many c-levels are expecting continued growth as seen in the end of 2017.

How will eternal factors affect our enterprises in Japan and around Asia Pacific? How will all of these issues affect Japan, now that it is finally starting to show strong growth and nascent signs of ending deflation? As always, there is a mountain of debt looming in the background making markets nervous and increasing the system’s vulnerability to shocks…Is Abenomics finally going to have its day?

In the February CEO Insights, we will discuss the economic and political issues coming down the road from the diverse businesses represented at the lunch. Be sure to join us as we compare notes with other c-levels from other industries.

The last 15 mins will be used to cover plans for upcoming topics and potential speakers.

Date: February 13, 2018 (Tuesday)
Time: 12:30pm to 2:00pm
Venue: Roppongi Hills Club – Italian Restaurant – La Cucina
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151

2018 Feb C28 – Staying Fit and Healthy as a Busy CEO

As busy CEOs, there are times when we choose to prioritize our work over maintaining our physical and mental health. We get caught up in the mindset that there just isn’t enough time to do everything we want in a single day. Yet 70% of the Fortune 500 CEOs exercise at least once a day, while 50% do some form of meditation or quiet time. Understanding how our health impacts productivity is important, as health and work can in fact go hand in hand.

This month, we will once again be joined by long time Tokyo resident and entrepreneur Andy Morgan for a special meeting about you, the CEO. Andy has years of experience coaching execs and entrepreneurs in his fitness business, bringing the latest in health and fitness to the Japanese market from the West. He will be sharing practical tips and insight on how we can best look after our health and stay on top of business.

Date: February 8, 2018 (Thursday)
Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Location: Roppongi Hills Club – Italian Restaurant – La Cucina
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151

2018 Jan G3 – Getting YouTube to Help With Your Marketing

CEO Insights kicks off the New Year with a dive into marketing. This is not advertising on a billboard or magazine – it is more of the digital nature. NTT Docomo’s c-level told us two years ago that more than 50% of their smartphone bandwidth is used by video consumption. Video is easy to produce and very quick to publish with today’s tools. It will also, however, help you sell more.

Many know YouTube as a bottomless resource for just about any video where hundreds of hours of video are uploaded every minute. In fact, people watch 1 billion hours of YouTube every single day. Yet many companies are also using YouTube as a powerful marketing tool, as consumers and companies are now watching more videos than ever.

In January, we welcome Craig Law-smith and Masanobu Nakamura from Google. We will discuss:

• General overview of media market in Japan
• Shift of consumers to mobile / digital and lag of industry
• Case studies of companies using YouTube in Japan
• Artificial intelligence/machine learning and influence on advertising

Explore how your organization can better harness the power of video to reach more potential clients, increase store visits, or even target audiences.

Be sure to confirm your attendance via Doodle.

Date: January 16, 2018 (Tuesday)
Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Location: 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

2018 Jan C28 – How Will Cryptocurrency Change Business?

These days, many are singing the praises of blockchain technology for its potential to create efficiency across many industries. The most visible application of blockchain technology is the virtual currency Bitcoin, which has often hit the news for rapid gains and losses in value. However, there are in fact over 2,000 other tokens and currencies based on distributed, cryptographic technology.

Collectively known as cryptocurrency, this technology claims to fill roles and solve problems better than their preceding solutions. While there are only few experts on blockchain technology or cryptocurrencies, we will be joined by Mr. Tony Evans and Mr. James Fiorello to discuss the following topics:

• Basic overview of the blockchain
• Blockchain technology’s capabilities and applications
• Future prospects of blockchain

Like the internet, blockchain technology will not only change the way we do business, but the way that we live our daily lives.

Date: January 18, 2018 (Thursday)
Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Location: Roppongi Hills Club – Proteus
51F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi Minato-ku, 106-6151

Kicking Off 2018 With A January OTR

Join us for 2018’s first OTR! We’ll be meeting at Andaz Tokyo’s Bebu Café & Bar. Bebu is located on the 1st floor of Toranomon Hills, focusing on signature burgers and selected draft beers – a casual place perfect for both lunch and after-work gatherings.

About OTR
CEO Insights is Japan’s prime gathering of c-levels for sharing experience, connections, and insights from the c suite at our monthly lunches. From 2017, we’ve added a new way to network and grow personally through random Thursday night dinners that are completely open to discussion amongst our member CEOs called OTR (Off The Record).

Unlike other events, there are no pre-planned topics or private rooms. The meeting is a joint meetingof all groups and will give people a chance to get to know other bosses in an open restaurant dinner environment.

Please arrive between 6.30PM to 7PM and enjoy dinner with people you can relate to; slip away when you like. OTR is scheduled from 6.30PM to 8PM, but will go on until bosses retire for the evening.

Details
Date: January 25, 2017 (Thursday)
Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Venue: Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills – Bebu Cafe & Bar (1F)
1-23-4 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001

Note: This event is for CI members and invited guests only.

2017 Dec G3 – Setting & Achieving Corporate Goals In A New Year

With a new year many people set new goals for the year. Many individuals set regular exercise as their New Years resolution and usually fail in a few months into the year. CEOs don’t have the luxury of failure and keeping their jobs. Running a firm in the Japan is no easy task. Some CEOs additionally have to even cover this at the regional level. There are operational, financial, marketing, and other issues that the CEO has to be constantly thinking about. CEOs must effectively use their resources or risk giving the reins of the enterprise to some new younger challenger.

 

In the December CEO Insights meeting we’ll be talking about Setting and Achieving Organizational Goals. Some areas to be covered will be:
-Setting and motivating the front line sales team for a new year of effective revenue generation
-Insights on how to make sure your Customer Service team is really servicing the customer
-Engaging and developing the back office team
-Developing next gen leadership
-Advertising that works
-Internal motivation programs for the team

 

Enjoy this chance to find out what works well from other CEOs who’ve done it already.
Date– Tuesday, 5 Dec 2017 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

2017 Dec C20/C8 – What Can Japanese Banks Do For The CEO?

For foreigners, visiting the bank can sometimes be compared to visiting the dentist.. painful. As the CEO, we have our team from Japan and sometimes foreigners that have to have that banking relationship in order for us to pay them for bill payment, money transfer, or investment.. Discussing Japan banking has proven to be a topic of interest this year. In response, we are pleased to invite Prestia Sales head from SMBC Trust Bank SMBC’s boss of Prestia Bank , Mr. Dai Sugiyama. He will join us to share insights on personal banking in Japan. We plan to discuss the best way to engage the local banks, how to adjust your investment strategy, and doing international business without losing your shirt.

Come join us for the Dec CI meeting. We’re closing out another great year of regular meetings with the world’s top brands and the CEOs that drive them in Asia.

Date: Thursday, 7 December 2017, 12:30pm-14:00pm
Venue: Roppongi Hills Club – La Cucina
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan