Many people think of Henry Ford when we think of automobiles and their invention.  However, self propelled vehicles have been around in various forms since the 1800s.  We saw steam, electric, and petroleum powered vehicles.  Various electric cars concepts have been around, yet without breaking the monopoly of fossil fuel powered engines. Combustion based engines have dominated and networks of dealers as well as services has been around them.  Things have finally started to change.

Tesla came to market with high-performance battery based vehicles and has not only challenged the automotive dealer models but also gotten into the core software architecture as well as energy infrastructure area.  In this month’s CEO Insights join us as we hear from Tesla’s VP of North & SE Asia.  We welcome Mr. Nicolas Villeger who will share his insights on how Tesla is completely changing the way people think about automobile purchase and ownership.  Mr. Villeger is no stranger to brands, he joined Tesla after a successful career at Coach, Longchamp, and Estee Lauder.

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

Many CEOs have extensive legal experience, however as the representative of a major business it is not easy to know everything.  Knowing how things work legally in advance can save a lot of pain later on.  In the March CI lunch, we will have a Legal Round Robin.  There will be no slide decks.  CI welcomes back Mr. Jean-Denis Marx, a partner with Baker & McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise). We have prepared a list of topics and questions to spur the conversation but this is your chance to ask ANYTHING legal.  The meeting will follow the flow of the group, however initial areas planned include

• People- Hiring & Firing
  
• Data Protection
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• eCommerce
• Corporate Liablity
• Digital Currencies
• Agreements
• Protections

Date– Wednesday, 8 March 2017 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.

February’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, 7 March 1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
Roppongi Hills Club- Private Dining Room – Studio (Italian)
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

Storytelling. Big Data Analytics. Customer Journey. Omni-channel. Consumer Experience. Disruption. All concepts flipped around C-Suite, Marketing and IT circles over recent times. And yet, the rise of the very technology that has enabled and empowered individuals can create seemingly impossible paradoxes for B2C and B2B companies to overcome.

Enter the rise of Design Strategy. What began as a strategic process applied to designing products is now permeating all manner of how to engage with customers, consumers, clients, patients, stakeholders, users… you know, people. Design strategy principles & tactics are impacting boardroom decision making, product and service development and how best to connect with the people you want to build an ongoing relationship with.

On Thursday March 9 please join us for lunch with Phillip Rubel, head of Designit Tokyo & a global board member of the firm. Designit is one of the largest and most successful strategic design companies in the world, recently acquired by IT powerhouse Wipro. Designit consults for and co-creates with some of the world’s most successful companies across a huge variety of industries. Come learn how Designit helps companies first understand their customers deeper, then develops new products, services and ultimately relationships with these customers in agile and practical ways.

Date– Thursday, 9 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.

February’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– Thursday, 9 Feb 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

 

Taxation is always an area of great interest. Japan is a excellent place to live but changes by the Japanese government meant to catch rich Japanese residents coming in and out of Japan have also accidentally applied to foreign residents of Japan as well. In early December, the FY17 proposed tax reforms were announced, which included some changes to the Japan inheritance tax laws. The proposed reforms were light on details and as the bill has not been introduced in the Diet yet there are still some open questions and issues. Nonetheless, experts do expect these changes, especially the ones that would extend the period of time that Japanese nationals and long-term foreigners would continue to be subject to Japan gift and inheritance tax after moving out of Japan to potentially have a significant impact on future estate planning. CI members will discuss these changes and the impact on our businesses and professional lives.

In the February CEO Insights luncheon we will welcome PWC Partner Mr. Nasir Majid who is running the International Assignment Services (IAS) practice in Tokyo at the global firm. He will share the latest updates on the changes going on in government and give you his insights on how to prepare for possible changes.

Date– Tuesday, 7 Feb
1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
Roppongi Hills Club- Star Anise
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

The accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi in 2011 has left a decommissioning project which is expected to last 30-40 years. What is nuclear decommissioning, what does it involve, and how do you tackle a project with a likely lifetime longer that those who will be there at the beginning? How do you deal both with the technical challenges, and the challenges of a sceptical public so that the project can be completed successfully.

The UK nuclear industry began in the 1940s, and with the opening of the world’s first civil nuclear power plant at Calder Hall plant in Cumbria in 1956. By the nature of having some of the first power stations in the world, the UK is one of the first countries to enter a phase of decommissioning. This experience has resulted in UK organisations forming a close partnership with those in Japan tackling the situation at Fukushima Dai-ichi.

Keith Franklin, First Secretary at the British Embassy in Tokyo, on secondment from the National Nuclear Laboratory, who has visited the site many times over the past 6 years, will explain the current situation, and give an insight of the challenges which still need to be overcome, and will talk about how the UK has decided to build a new fleet of power stations, as the current 1st and 2nd generation plants come to the end of their operating lifetime.

The meeting
Date– Wednesday, 8 Feb 1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
AIG’s Tokyo Boardroom
Kamiyacho MT Bldg 19F,
4-3-20 Toranomon, Minato-ku,
Tokyo 105-0001, Japan

[Lunch will be ordered so cancellations required before 3 Feb.]

CEO Insights is Japan’s prime gathering of c-levels sharing experience, connections, and insights from the c suite at our monthly lunches.  From 2017, we will be adding a new way to network and grow personally.  CI will organize 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 room. The meeting will be a joint meeting all groups and will give people a chance to get to know other bosses in an open restaurant dinner environment.

Please arrive between 630PM to 7PM and enjoy dinner with people who you can relate to.  Slip away when you are ready to retire for the evening.  OTR is scheduled 1830PM to 8PM.  The next meeting 

Date– Thursday, 23 Feb 1830PM-2000PM
(Arrival between 630-7PM)
Venue–
Roppongi Hills Club- Roppongi Hills Club- Restaurant 51 (Near Reception)
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

In December, two member reps from each CI group met for breakfast and brainstorming on the New Year. We discussed our guidelines, processes, new members, topics and speakers worth inviting to share.
In January, we will kick off the CEO Insights meetings with an executive summary of what was discussed in that meeting and continue with a bit more of a customer CI brainstorm. We will discuss plans for our group as well as topics that we will be covering in the new year and into 2018.
Don’t miss this chance to catch up with fellow CEO members and set the course for our future together.

The meeting
Date– Thursday, 12 Jan 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

In December, two member reps from each CI group met for breakfast and brainstorming on the New Year. We discussed our guidelines, processes, new members, topics and speakers worth inviting to share.
In January, we will kick off the CEO Insights meetings with an executive summary of what was discussed in that meeting and continue with a bit more of a customer CI brainstorm. We will discuss plans for our group as well as topics that we will be covering in the new year and into 2018.
Don’t miss this chance to catch up with fellow CEO members and set the course for our future together.

The meeting
Date– Wednesday, 11 Jan 1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
Roppongi Hills Club- Proteus
51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,
6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan