CEO Insights Executive Group

2016 March C8- Enhancing Your Customer Experiences
2016-03-17 12:30 - 14:00 (Asia/Tokyo) | Roppongi Hills Club – Star Anise, 51F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151
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!

2016 March G3 - Understanding the Trust Barometer
2016-03-15 12:30 - 14:00 | Roppongi Hills Club – Restaurants, 51F 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.

2016 Feb C8- How Great Leaders Think
2016-02-18 12:30 - 14:00 | Roppongi Hills Club – Restaurants, 51F 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.
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.

2016 Feb G3- The Business of Managing Middle Management
2016-02-16 12:30 - 14:00 | Roppongi Hills Club – Restaurants, 51F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151, Japan
Middle Managers are the glue that connects the bottom with the top. Executives rely on Middle Management to cascade their messages to the front line. However, do they actually do a good job of this or are they information hoarders and not sharing it with those below?
They are also expected to be conduits pushing valuable ideas and insights from the front line upward to the senior leaders. The innovation capacity of companies often relies on those closest to the customer. Invariably many great ideas potentially emanating from the front line are never tapped, because there was not the environment to do so. That environment creation is the responsibility of the Middle Managers.
Middle Managers will play an even more important role in the future, as the supply of young workers dwindles and a ferocious war for talent consumes us all. The inability of Middle Management to retain the young will have a direct negative cost on the bottom line of our businesses. Replacing and covering for the departing young has many costs – recruitment, disruption, opportunities, team motivation etc.

In this month’s CI Luncheon, Dale Carnegie’s Japan President and CI member CEO, Greg Story will be leading the discussion on “The Business Of Managing Middle Management”. Come join us as we talk about developing a companies most important asset, it’s team.

2016 Feb C20 - Risk Management and Why it Really (Really) Matters
2016-02-12 12:30 - 14:00 | Roppongi Hills Club – Restaurants, 51F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151, 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?

2016 Jan C20 The World Of Gaisho
2016-01-15 12:30 - 14:00 | 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
With the influx of more and more international tourists, there are more people thinking they understand Japan, it’s culture, and it’s way of doing business. However, there are many areas that people cannot see. Not just the locals, but even the long term international residents.

In the January CI meeting, Ecco’s Japan CEO will introduce us to the Japanese world of the Gaisho. What is the Gaisho? Gaisho are the high end clientele of Japan. Gaisho clientele are invisible to the average person, but they are a very high spending, pampered customer for many of Japan’s famous retail outlets. Specifically, they are very engaged by department stores. Their existence is not just a important market, but reveals things about Japan that the c-level must understand.

2016 Jan C8 – Business Secrets And Privacy – Recent developments in Japan and in the world
2016-01-14 12:30 - 14:00 | Roppongi Hills Club- PROTEUS Room, 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.

2016 Jan G3 -How Japan Sees Finance & Banking And How It Affects Your Business
2016-01-12 12:30 - 14:00 | 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
Global financial firms have had mixed results in Asia. Specifically, they’ve been in Japan for some time but had varying levels of success. There are some American credit card businesses that have their second largest global market outside of the US in Japan. Japan is a crown jewel. There are other banks that have failed miserably because they couldn’t get a handle on how to manage themselves or work with Japan’s regulatory bodies.
In the 2016 kick off of CEO Insights G3, we’ll be diving right into the topic that is likely very guarded, money. Specifically we’ll be talking how Japan sees Western, as well as other Asian, banking and finance. We’ll be welcome guest expert Yoshio Kitazawa.
Mr. Kitazawa spent 28 years in banking as the head of a major American bank. Following that time, he served as Senior Advisor to the IBA (International Bankers Association of Japan) working with the BOJ, the PM’s cabinet, and several other non-governmental bodies in Japan. He founded his own company in 2005 called BCP Corporation selling cloud-based business continuity systems. You will leave very enlightened on Japan and finance, from a local perspective.

2015 Dec C20 Year End Wrap Up - Better Boss, Better Business
2015-12-11 12:30 - 14:00 | 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
As yet another year closes, many executive offices are reviewing what worked and what didn’t, what sold and what didn’t, what blew up and what overflowed. In addition to national responsibility, many of our member CEOs have other countries in Asia as well as Australia/New Zealand reporting to them. Growth is about reflecting on management mistakes as well as building management successes.
The December CEO Insights meetings is one of the most popular and well attended meetings as executives get ready for the Christmas holidays and year’s end. This will be likely be your last chance to rub elbows with Asia’s top Tokyo-based CEOs and leadership.

2015 Dec G3 Year End Wrap Up - Better Boss, Better Business
2015-12-08 12:30 - 14:00 | 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

2015 Nov C20 Japan's People Problem- The Facts About A Talent Shortage
2015-11-13 12:30 - 14:00 | Roppongi Hills Club- PROTEUS Room, 51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151, Japan
Getting right people on the team is absolutely critical for business success anywhere and Japan is without doubt one of the most difficult places to hire in the world. With 1.27 open jobs per job seeker nationwide there is currently a huge shortage of suitably qualified professionals to do a wide range of jobs across industries. Unfortunately, for those of us running businesses here it’s only going to get a whole lot harder in the coming years and it’s absolutely critical that organisations prepare themselves for the challenges that this will pose.
David Swan, Managing Director Japan & Korea for Robert Walters will explain the dynamics of the job market that have created this situation and provide some strategies and ideas for you and your organisations to be in the best position possible to obtain the talent you need on your team.
Robert Walters is the leading foreign, mid-career global recruitment consultancy in Japan. David joined Robert Walters Japan in 2002, was appointed Managing Director in November 2009 and he established the Group’s Korea operations in October 2010. Since this time, the Japan business has become the most profitable, Tokyo the second largest office and Seoul one of the fastest offices for the group globally. David is also a regular commentator to the media on a wide range of issues pertaining to the Japanese labour market.

2015 Nov C8 Keeping The CEO's Executive Edge
2015-11-12 12:30 - 14:00 | Roppongi Hills Club- Salon (French), 51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151
CEOs are all faced with the challenges of satisfying our day-day customers and achieving (short-term) financial objectives to keep our stake-holders happy. However, the world continues to evolve, change. Bosses all know that those that do not adapt and those that do not look for the trends and respond accordingly, unfortunately, fall into irrelevancy. C-levels intuitively know we need to look to the future to maintain our leadership positions, however, the actuality is that some keep the edge much better then others

What works for you? How do you find the balance? Organizationally, how do you balance long-term (mid-term) planning with the day-to-day? Do you have specific annual processes that work that can be shared with others? Who does it? How do you do it? Does it work? …or is it a waste of time? With so much responsibility, no boss has mastered everything. This month’s CEO Insights is all about insights.

What metrics do you or areas do you focus in your planning: Financial, structure (organization), innovation, looking at competition, threats, opportunities, and much more. At this month’s CEO Insights meeting, you will have an invaluable opportunity to see inside companies outside of yours.

2015 Nov G3 Keeping The CEO's Executive Edge
2015-11-10 12:30 - 14:00 | 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

CEO Insights Terrace Reception (C8)
2015-10-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Azabu Gardens
When: Thursday, October 22th 7pm – 8:30pm
Where: Azabu Gardens
Cost: 8,000 yen / person

2015 October C8 – Japan’s Talent Crisis – what you need to know
2015-10-08 12:30 - 14:00 | 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

2015 Fall CEO Insights Forum (CIF)
2015-09-30 19:00 - 20:30 | Oakwood Premier- 1F, Tokyo Midtown Complex, 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0052, Japan
We are pleased to announce the semi-annual CEO Insights Forum (CIF) on 30 September from 7PM. The CIF is the highest level regular gathering of c-suite executives in Japan. This is the second and final CIF for 2015. We will have two excellent speakers, great food, and insightful discussions. We’ll have brief presentations followed by Q&A so you can ask the experts. The evening will be mostly a chance for you to interact with other market leaders like yourself.

Register HERE
The speakers are Mr. Nicholas Benes and Mr. Martin Schultz. The topics planned are-
Nicholas Benes, Representative Director, The Board Director Training Institute of Japan will speak on
“Brave New World: How The World Has Changed Radically Since 1990. The Four Accelerating Global Trends That You Can’t Afford To Ignore As A CEO”
Japan is not exactly known for transparency in its corporate governance. With pressure from the outside, Japan is being forced to internationalize and be more accountable globally. Nick brings decades of experience to the CIF as he runs a popular organization that provides c-level training in governance to help you understand the importance of dealing with digital client data, changing legal environment, and building corporate boards that actually make firms more productive.

You can find out more about Mr. Benes here. In addition,

Mr. Martin Schulz, Senior Research Fellow, Fujitsu Research Institute will present on-
Japan and Asia in the “New Normal” (of much lower growth and increasing competition)

Growth rates have come down in Japan and much of the mature world to bare-productivity levels of around 1%. In emerging Asia, at the same time, “middle income traps” are challenging outmoded development models and government control. The result is a race for success in overseas markets and productivity-oriented governance improvements – with geopolitical tensions as a sideshow. For companies, the “new normal” means tougher export competition at the base but tremendous opportunities for top products and services that do things smarter and in a more globally connected way.

More about Mr. Schulz here.

CIF brings together bosses of fashion, industrial, consumer products, high tech, media, hospitality, real estate, and other areas under one roof. We look forward to seeing you at the Fall event. Please sign-up online or if you questions, please have your PA contact Ms. Waijo (in Japanese) at 03-4550-6500.

Date-
Wednesday, 30 September 2015 700PM-830PM (Soft closing with drinks until 930)
Venue-
Oakwood Premier- 1F
Tokyo Midtown Complex
9-7-4 Akasaka
Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0052 Japan
Cost- 8,500 yen
Register HERE
(**For expediency, we’d like to do all bookings online. If you don’t have a Paypal registered Credit Card, please just select “check” so we can get you registered and AINEO Corporation email you a paper invoice. Pay online or request invoice in advance from AINEO Corporation. Thank you!)

CEO Insights Joint Event- Building Your Dream Company-Global CEO Rob Walters
2015-09-16 12:00 - 14:00 | 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
CEO Insights is an unparalleled gathering of ladies and gents running the businesses of some of the most influential brands in Asia. For many, including c-levels like CI members, building a business for the ground up and seeing it catch on globally is a dream come true. In September, CI will welcome a global CEO whole built his dream and continues to see it expand. In September, we will meet Rob Walters, originally a London-based accountant who built a business that now spans 24 countries with 2,700 employees globally.
In this joint CI meeting, you will be able to hear how a London professional build his dream and continues to expand it. This will be an open discussion around a boardroom style table we’re we will likely discuss
-Going from employee to employer
-Watching out for the growth blockers
-Having the right strategy in the right market
You will also have the opportunity to catch up with other CI members from the other two groups. Please note, this is an invitation-only event with limited space due to the room size. We will accommodate as many people in as possible.
Date– Wednesday, 16 Sept 2015 1230PM-1400PM
Cost– ¥5,900 (Due to venue, for simplicity this event will be invoiced from AINEO)
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

2015 September C20 – Getting Inspiration From Bricks
2015-09-11 12:30 - 14:00 | 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 is a market that to many foreign companies remains an enigma and where one of the key learnings seems to be that all market segments are saturated and dominated by huge local players. The toy market is not any different and yet a small company from an even smaller country far up in the northernmost part of Europe is trying to swim against the current and prove that even if a market is not growing you can successfully grow a global brand using global tools.
What is the story behind the growth of the LEGO brand in this market and are there any learnings for companies outside the toy business? LEGO Japan’s CEO Steen Lauge Kokkenborg will be answering questions as well as sharing insights, learnings and perspectives from his experience with the LEGO Brand in the Japanese market. Prior to Japan, Steen ran Lego’s successful Korea organization.
After the Sept CI meeting, you will leave the luncheon regretting you ever left your toys on your way to success.

2015 Sept C8 - Omni Channel Increasing Response In Retailing (Venue Change)
2015-09-10 12:30 - 14:00 | OAK LAWN MARKETING, INC., 21F Toranomon Hills Mori Tower, 1-23-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku Tokyo, Japan
Omni Channel is the new retail catchword. To date, the strategy is perceived as primarily a strategy for retailers to optimize between stores and/or bricks and mortar channels with e-channels, i.e. smart phone or PC commerce. Harry Hill will present a case study with our Shop Japan Wonder Core series to illustrate a vision of Omni Channel which both harmonizes the retail experience while also increasing interest, response and sales into all channels. He will show how Shop Japan incorporate the metrics and discipline from our traditional TV shopping, direct marketing business model into an Omni Channel: a model that integrates big data with response data to increase traffic and conversion in all channels including call, smart phone, PC and retail t win market share in all channels while at the same time dramatically increasing Shop Japan’s brand awareness, customer profile and channel balance as well as improve profitability.
Come enjoy a special CI meeting presented by Harry Hill and moderated by Phil Rubel. Please note that we will NOT be meeting at our usual venue.
Date– Thursday, 10 Sept 2015 1230PM-1400PM
Venue–
OAK LAWN MARKETING, INC.
21F Toranomon Hills Mori Tower, 1-23-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku Tokyo

2015 August G3 Understanding The Power Of Licensing In Japan
2015-09-08 12:30 - 14:00 | Roppongi Hills Club- Salon (French), 51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151
Japan has a constant influx of international brands looking to come to advantage of the market and it’s buying power each year. Of course, importing a product, setting up distribution, and building brand aware all contribute to success in Japan, this is not the only way. Licensing your brand in Japan is another option.
France’s FAUCHON is having considerable success in licensing their brand in Japan. In the Sept CI lunch we will get a chance to hear the strengths of the FAUCHON model that has worked for over 43 years. Why would licensing be an option? What are the pros and cons for choosing the licensing model? How do you pick a good business partner? How do you really negotiate a win-win agreement with that business partner?
In September, FAUCHON’s Japan CEO will present his thoughts on these many areas in the world of licensing that builds your brand.

2015 August C20 – Tokyo Office Market Trends- The City Of Endless Construction
2015-08-14 12:30 - 14:00 | 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
Tokyo is a city where construction never stops. The market suffered massively after the Lehman, but has steadily improved in recent years. Commercial tenants seek ways to have modern office space in attractive locations with greater efficiency. Large developers focus on the long-term viability of their target areas for investment and development. The age and number of office workers present additional constraints.

What are the factors driving the market long term and how will supply and demand interact through 2020? In August we’ll have Japan’s leading authorities on Real Estate, Mr. Jim Fink, of Colliers leading the meeting. He will be sharing insights, where the trends are leading, and answering questions that relate to a huge part of the CEO’s budget, the facility costs.

You will leave the luncheon gain insights into the corporate real estate market.

2015 August C8 What Is The Next Generation For Travel?
2015-08-13 12:30 - 14:00 | Roppongi Hills Club- Salon (French), 51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151
When video conference systems came out in the 90s, many predicted that business trips would be cut back along with the associated expenses with this new technology in the workplace. It didn’t work out for most companies and executives as well as many in the team still have to travel to global offices. Nothing beats meeting someone in person.

Our guest for August is Shinji Tsukamoto. He, together with 2 other founders, is a cofounder of DUFL, a premium travel service that has a large ambition to change the way we travel. The service has launched in the US, and is fast becoming one of the most talked-about startups: on CNBC, Fox News, Bloomberg. Shinji’s job is to launch the service all around the world, including Japan, all from scratch. Jasper thought it would be interesting to introduce the service to you, and how it might indeed change the way you travel. He’ll also share with you some of the challenges he sees as a startup in Japan, and challenges to launch services outside Japan from Tokyo.

DUFL is a premium travel service- a personal valet that simplifies business travel by shipping, cleaning and storing your business attire.DUFL stores your clothing in your personal DUFL closet, and allows you to virtually ‘pack’ by selecting your clothing items from within the app. Once you’ve scheduled your trip, you’ll travel – bag free, and your freshly cleaned and neatly packed clothing will meet you at your specified destination. When you’re ready to head home, schedule a pick up from the hotel and we’ll clean your clothes and have them waiting in your virtual closet, ready for your next trip!

Get ready for new perspectives on something every boss does nearly every month.

2015 August G3 - Is There Really Any Real Cyber Security For My Business?
2015-08-11 12:30 - 14:00 | 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
As Japan is getting ready for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games as well as the current high tension with China and Korea, cyber security has become a key focal point for both the government (with JPS as a recent example of the current weaknesses that exist) and for the private sector. Another complicating factor is the convergence of physical and cyber security issues, shown most prevalently by a couple of recent attacks:

Target, a large US based retail organization, had up to 70M customer credit cards and other PPI stolen after being hacked via their building’s HVAC system.
A small team recently took over a Jeep that was traveling 70 mph (or about 110 kph) on the highway via its 3G mobile connection, and Range Rover is doing a recall of many of their vehicles due to their door and ignition system being easily hacked.
The emergence of IoT, especially in control systems for manufacturing, health care services, etc., presents a huge new set of opportunities for hackers to exploit and either gain control of various functions or bridge into the enterprise network.

In the August CI meeting, Mr. Phillip Morris, CTO for British Telecom (BT) Japan, will speak to us about BT’s experiences protecting the London 2012 Olympic Games. He will also share on where cyber security and risk management is going over the next few years.
BT is a global telecommunications company with a heavy focus on the financial services, manufacturing, health care/life sciences and CPG sectors. BT is world renowned for their managed security services, protecting not only the Olympic Games, but also high profile organizations such as NATO Summits, large UK ministries, and global banks.

CEO Insights Special Reception - 15 July
2015-07-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Azabu Gardens
Greetings! After a fantastic turn out at the Spring CEO Insights Forum in Midtown, with 44 company CEOs in June, we had many requests afterwards of people asking to have more of a chance to network and talk with each other. Thanks to CI members, we have that opportunity. Many have requested in the first 2 weeks of this month due to travel schedules in July/August. You’ve got it.
Brief Topic: Japanese Art in Western Homes
Tokutaro Yamaguchi of Kyoto’s renowned Shibunkaku Gallery will give a brief 15-minute presentation on placing Japanese Art pieces in Western homes and will provide tips on what to look for when buying art.
Yamaguchi-san has a Masters in East Asian Art from Sotheby’s Institute with a dissertation on “Celebration of eroticisim and imagination in the Floating World in Edo period Japan”, with a Bachelor’s from Central Saint Martins University of Arts London.
The Shibunkaku Group is an art and culture corporation that is dedicated to the promotion of high-quality Japanese art and culture to the international audience and clients.
If you’ve not heard about this yet, please let us know as we only have space for 30 CEOs (half full as of 6 July). The great food is provided by Pembroke Real Estate Japan. CI group only needs to cover our drinks.
When: Wednesday, July 15th 7pm – 9pm
Where: Azabu Gardens (Behind Roppongi Hills: http://www.azabugardens.com/contact/)
Cost: 3,500 yen / person
RSVP: Chie Waijo
To keep it simple we will just send a simple paper invoice for the event in advance. (Please include your exact company name/address.)
Catering by Elio’s
Food Menu: includes a wide range of appetizers, 2 different kind of pasta that the chef will cook on the spot – e.g. Ravioli- and 2 kinds of dessert
Drink Menu: A full drink course including Italian Sparkling wine “Prosecco”, Calabria IGT red and white wine “Villa Orsara”, Sicilian red orange juice, Oolong tea, Mineral water (both gas/no gas).

June C20- Management- Corporate Issues Update
2015-07-10 12:30 - 14:00 | 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
The beauty of CEO Insights is being able to find answers to issues and other challenges in business from other peers in non-competitive businesses. CI covers a different each month and sometimes has outside guest CEOs and other experts. In July we will do things slightly different.

In the July CI, the meeting will cover a brief “sampler” of various issues. Planned topics are
-Halfway through- How Abenomics Affects My Business
-Positive Influences of the Olympics Thus Far On The Firm
-Japan’s Tourist Boom
-Changes In Tax Law

Looking forward to seeing you in July!

2015 July C8 - The Current State of Robotics In Japan
2015-07-09 12:30 - 14:00 | Roppongi Hills Club- Salon (French), 51 fl. Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6151
Japan has been very famous for past successes in building the economy to one of the largest in the world. Gone are the days of household name recognition of names like Sony, Sharp, and many other consumer products manufacturers. A new time has begun. A few areas that make Japan stand out these days are “Made in Japan” quality, animation/gaming, and robotics.

In the July CI meeting we will welcome Mr. Tadahiro Kawada. Mr. Kawada is CEO of Kawada Kyogo which is a company specializing in steel products for bridges and other infrastructure. One of their recent high profile projects is providing for the Tokyo SkyTree project. Besides steel, another very interesting area of the Kawada Kogyo business is the robotics area. This is a recognized growth area by Japan. One of Prime Minister Abe’s is to enhance the robotic industry which is one of the industries where Japan has a competitive edge globally. It is also perceived as one of the ways to address the labor shortage and low productivity in Japan, so it has become a critical industry for Japan’s future. Mr. Kawada has robots that work alongside people on assembly lines which is quite unique and how he implements his philosophy of “humans should always be in control” is interesting.

Come join us at the July CEO Insights to learn more about how one Japanese leader sees the future. Special thanks to Ernie Higa for arranging this meeting!

2015 July G3- Purposing: Harnessing The Power Of Creativity To Build Your Brand
2015-07-07 12:30 - 14:00 | 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
The difference between a whether or not your brand can become influential can be affected the market, planning, and even many individuals. In the July CEO Insights, we will be discussing, how to harness the power of creativity to build your brand with internal stakeholders in order to maximize its potential with external stakeholders.

The discussion will be led by Phillip Rubel, Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon’s CEO who will provide us with an overview of how and why powerful branding inside your company can create synergy and effectiveness with your sales and marketing efforts.

How To Look Smarter To Your Headquarters
2015-06-12 12:30 - 14:00 | 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
As we frequently hear in our CEO Insights meetings, our teams in the company are very important. The team is working under the flags of our various firms. That image of the firm or brand is very powerful either in positive or negative terms. How do people see your brand? What image do you project? The CEO Insights is very pleased to welcome international guest CEO and author Mr. David Brains.
David Brains is CEO of Edelman’s APACMEA ( Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa ) region, responsible for 24 offices in 15 markets and a staff of over 1,500. Previously having worked at Visa International, Burson- Marsteller and Weber Shandwick he is a well-recognized authority on corporate branding and marketing communications. David has directed award-winning campaigns for Unilever, Heineken and Jim Beam. His book, “Crowd Surfing: Surviving and Thriving in the Age of Consumer Empowerment,” is published by Bloomsbury. David will be speaking on the latest trends that are influencing corporate reputation and marketing communications across Asia. We hope this talk will leave you with some useful hints for talking with your HQ on what is happening in this ever changing landscape.

2015 June C8 -The Latest On The Japan Real Estate Market & The Olympics
2015-06-11 12:30 - 14:00 | 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
Depending on the business, most of the operational costs go to paying our people. However, having a nice facility and location is also a huge plus for an enterprise. Many times, these facilities have a considerable cost as well.
In the June CEO Insights, we are pleased to have our own member, Mr. Todd Olson, Managing Director of Cushman & Wakefield Japan sharing an overview of the leasing market and some insights regarding the Olympic development. He may also bring along a special guest to share an overview of foreign funds and share some details as to what investors of foreign funds are looking for in Japan investment.
Join us for CEO Insights in June.

2015 June G3 -Human Experience—A Medium For Advertising?
2015-06-09 12:30 - 14:00 | 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
Marketing and promotion is an important activity for any brand or company to succeed.
But as consumers today are inundated with promotions across multiple media channels—TV, radio, print, web, mobile, outdoor advertising, etc.—what should brands and marketers do to strategically engage consumers? In the June CI luncheon, media and publishing business CEO Robert Heldt will lead us as
we take a look at the four spheres of human interaction—public, social, tribal and psychological—and discuss under what circumstances they can be accessed to be receptive to advertising.
This is your chance to stay up with the generations of younger and younger people that you are hiring.
