With the increase of stress related illnesses in the workplace in Japan, corporate management has had to think differently.  The natural disasters of March 2011 not only got Chief Executives thinking about the issues, but also illustrated the affect of employee mental health on the workplace more clearly.  Although the disasters are behind us, the mental health issues are still something we must consider in any business.

For the C20 meeting, we will welcome an expert in this area, Dr. Linda Semlitz.  Dr. Semlitz currently is managing the Tokyo English Life line and has recently done presentations for the American Chamber of commerce (more on Dr. Semlitz here).  In the lunch discussion, she will give a short presentation followed by the traditional CEO discussion.  The meeting will cover

-Implications of depression on the workplace
-Employer liablities that the CEO needs to understand
-How to recognize real stress and depression in your workplace and deal with it effectively

Date- Friday, 8 July  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

Dr. Semlitz is an American trained Psychiatrist with board certification in both Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as well as General Psychiatry.

She completed her undergraduate education at Brown University in 1975 and received her medical degree from Brown University in 1978.  Dr. Semlitz completed her Psychiatry training at the Cornell University, New York Hospital Westchester division and her Child and Adolescent Psychiatry training at New York State Psychiatric Institute of Columbia University.

Dr. Semlitz has practiced psychiatry for over 25 years in both the United States, Hong Kong and Singapore and has had academic appointments at Columbia University, Oregon Health Sciences University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and National University of Singapore.

More recently she was the Medical Director of Merck, Sharpe and Dohme in Hong Kong and Director of Medical and Scientific Affairs at Banyu, a division of Merck in Japan. She has particular interest in multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment ADHD, anxiety and depression, cross cultural mental health, and community mental health

The Musts Of Business Continuity Planning (BCP)

BCP may have not been an acronym that every CEO thought much about before March 2011’s Tokyo earthquake. However with challenges to running daily operations from daily transportation and disaster recovery sites to tsunamis and nuclear melt-downs the emphasis has changed. Business Continuity Planning is a must for every boss. What works and what doesn’t?

For smoothly running a business through any event, among other things Chief Executives need to have a grasp on-

-Effective disaster recovery (DR) site selection
-Employee Emergency procedures, planning, and drills
-Financial considerations

The June CEO meeting will be a frank but helpful discussion of what works and what doesn’t, as well as a frank discussion of what management needs to be aware of.

Date- Friday, 10 June  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 Musts Of Business Continuity Planning (BCP)

BCP may have not been an acronym that every CEO thought much about before March 2011’s Tokyo earthquake. However with challenges to running daily operations from daily transportation and disaster recovery sites to tsunamis and nuclear melt-downs the emphasis has changed. Business Continuity Planning is a must for every boss. What works and what doesn’t?

For smoothly running a business through any event, among other things Chief Executives need to have a grasp on-

-Effective disaster recovery (DR) site selection
-Employee Emergency procedures, planning, and drills
-Financial considerations

The June CEO meeting will be a frank but helpful discussion of what works and what doesn’t, as well as a frank discussion of what management needs to be aware of.

Date- Thursday, 9 June  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

Topic –  Effective Negotiating Tactics

Being a good negotiator is a great skill for marriage, but for Chief Executives but it is must in business.  In the company negotiation is essential for dealing with

-Employees

-Management Teams

-Foreign headquartered bosses

March’s CEO Luncheon will be a chance to find out from your peers in other industries on how best to work with others.  CEOs do not have the same level of difficultly that spews out of three branches of US government.  However, knowing how to negotiate can enhance your career as well as eliminate a lot of unnecessary stress in your corporation.

Friday, 11 March

1230PM-1300PM

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

How to Manage the Japanese Media in a Crisis

Leading a foreign firm in Japan and getting into a crisis can easily turn into a nightmare. We do not only face a unique and very odd media environment in Japan. We also will face struggles with headquarters. Rarely it does understand the specific needs and rules in Japan, which go far beyond offering a bow and apology. At stake is short-term business, long-term reputation and last but not least our job as CEO.

Dr. Jochen Legewie, President of CNC Japan, has been here for almost 20 years dealing with a number of high profile company crises over the last decade, both from inside of affected companies and from outside as a communications consultant.

His presentation will draw on various cases and
– Offer us some “do’s” and “don’ts” that will help to better navigate any crisis that could strike tomorrow

– Give you a feel for the level of involvement a CEO needs to have

– Examples of great and not so great media handling

Thursday, 10 February 2011
Roppongi Hills Club (Italian Restaurant- “La Cucina”)
1230PM-1400PM

The reservation is in the name of “Mr. Soo”.

Helping Japan Stay Competitive

Following the end of World War II, the economy of Japan was in shambles.  The people were discouraged as the ravages of war had taken it’s toll on the nation and the people themselves.  With the help of the US but more so due to a lot of work built on the Japanese group ethic and teamwork, the economy rose from the ashes to become the second largest economy in the world.  This was an amazing accomplishment for the island nation on the Pacific Rim to build an economy second to the United States, despite of the incredible population and land mass differences.

In 2010, the massive nation of China finally was able to overtake Japan in GDP (based on Chinese government’s reporting methods).  Many foreign businesses and people are looking away from Japan as a large market opportunity as they once did.  Is the “Land Of the Rising Sun” to become the “Land of the Setting Sun”?  We think not, but as any CEO knows, if you are inflexible in your business, it will die.  What can Japan do to continue to have a positive influence in the world market?

In the February CEO meeting we will be pleased to welcome the Director of Global Communications for Japan’s prime minister’s office.  The luncheon will have a short presentation from Mr. Shikata about what Japan is doing to strengthen it’s image in the world market.  However the bulk of the meeting time will be spent for brainstorming on

-How to make Japan a more competitive place for businesses
-Ideas for helping Japan to take more of a leadership role among the nations
-Breaking the bounds Identify the issues that limit Japan
-List up things CEOs can do to strengthen the nation

This meeting is off the record.  We are hoping to get a feel what is going on with the government and identify things CEOs can do to promote a long and bright future for the nation and our businesses here.

Friday, 28 January 2011

12PM-1330PM

Roppongi Hills Club-51 fl.

Roppongi Hills Mori Tower,

6-10-1 Roppongi,

Minato-ku,Tokyo, 106-6151 Japan

Businesses in Japan face a multitude of challenges, not least maintaining the right balance of experience and youth within an organization. The situation is aggravated by the country’s unique mix of a shrinking and aging population, stringent labor laws and a business culture that favors seniority over capability.?During January’s C20 luncheon, Charles will start by taking us through an example of one company’s approach to rejuvenating its organization and the learnings they encountered.
•    Options to rejuvenate an organization and their implications
•    Legal constraints
•    Organizational motivation

Friday, 14 January 2011
Roppongi Hills Club
12PM-1330PM

The reservation is in the name of “Charles”.

The C8 Meeting is our first meeting.  The schedule for 2011 meetings is below.

Thanks to great participants, topics, and venues the C8 luncheons have been an immeasurable success since 2005.

For 2011, your time and effort will make the meetings even better.  Below, please find the dates for the year so that you can mark your diary.

Friday, 28 January

Friday, 25 February

Friday, 25 March

Friday, 22 April

Thursday, 12 May

Thursday, 9 June

Thursday, 7 July

Thursday, 11 August

Thursday, 8 September

Thursday, 13 October

Thursday, 10 November

Thursday, 8 December

For the most up to date information please see www.ceoelite.org.

Thanks in advance for your help with topics, moderating meetings, and keeping the standards for this gathering of bosses productive.

For another great year!