JAPAN INTERCULTURAL CONSULTING - Key Persons

Aaron L. Miller

Job Titles:

Consultant

Aaron L. Miller holds a B.A. in Political Theory from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in socio-cultural anthropology from the University of Oxford. His doctoral dissertation investigated the relationships between sports, education and culture in Japan. Aaron has worked with Japanese organizations since the early 2000s. He began his career as a member of the JET Program, as an Assistant Language Teacher, in a rural town on the island of Shikoku. Later he studied advanced Japanese at the Inter-University Center in Yokohama, Japan, and worked in research, teaching, and translation for various Japanese universities, including Tokyo University, Waseda University, Sophia University and Kyoto University. During that time, Aaron also consulted for the Japan Olympic Committee and several Major League Baseball teams regarding talent acquisition strategies and cross-cultural issues in coaching, and wrote a research report for the Japanese government on youth sports. He also helped source, secure, and smooth relationships with Japanese-speaking employees for Tesla Motors. Between 2010 and 2015, Aaron was a Hakubi Scholar at Kyoto University, during which time he also undertook research at Stanford University's School of Education. Currently, he lectures at California State University, East Bay, and at St. Mary's College of California in the fields of sports sociology, sports history, sports and social justice, and critical studies of the body. Aaron has written for popular and academic outlets, including Anthropology News, Anthropology in Action, Stanford Daily, Japan Forum, Contemporary Japan, and Japan Focus. His book about Japan, Discourses of Discipline: An Anthropology of "Corporal Punishment" in Japan's Schools and Sports, was published in 2013. Aaron joined Japan Intercultural Consulting in 2019.

Ad Blankestijn

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / Kobe, Japan
Home / about Us / Team / Ad Blankestijn

Ad Blankestijn was born in the Netherlands and studied Chinese and Japanese languages and cultures at Leiden University. He also studied for one year at Nanjing University in China and two years on a Mombusho Scholarship in Japan, mainly at Kyoto University. After teaching a few years in the Sinological Institute of Leiden University, Ad joined the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands. In May 1987, he was posted to the Netherlands Embassy in Tokyo to become part of a team of Japanese and Dutch assigned with attracting Japanese companies to the Netherlands. Ad has worked for 20 years in several roles at the NFIA, mostly in Tokyo, including six years as head of the Japan Office (Tokyo and Osaka) and as Embassy Counselor. He was also responsible for activities in Taiwan and Hong Kong. During stints working for the head office of the NFIA, he also assisted on projects with Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean businesspeople and advised on major investments by well-known Japanese companies in the Netherlands. Ad returned to Japan in 2006, and also serves as a special advisor to the NFIA Japan Office.

Alex Fernández de Castro

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / Spain

Alex Fernández de Castro is a law graduate who lived and worked in Japan for three and a half years. While living in Tokyo, he was the Japanese correspondent for Catalunya Radio and Avui Newspaper, and hosted the Spanish teaching program at NHK, the Japanese Public TV Corporation. Upon returning to Barcelona, he wrote articles for the Daily Yomiuri. In 2003, he was invited to teach How to Work Effectively with Japanese for Siemens-Fujitsu in Feldafing, Germany. Since then, he has been lecturing on the subject for COPCA (Catalan Government), the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona, and Casa Asia (Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Alex currently teaches cross-cultural issues at ESADE, a Barcelona-based business school which belongs to Universitat Ramon Llull. While working at ESADE, Alex has conducted research on the main challenges that Spanish and Japanese face when working together. He has taught professionals from all over the world to interact successfully with Spaniards, and has contributed to teaching materials on the subject created by Esade and business schools from Vienna and Copenhagen. Alex holds a B.A. in Law and an M.A. in Spanish as a Second Language from the Universidad de Barcelona.

Alice Tomášková

Job Titles:

Consultant

Alice Tomášková holds an M.S. in Geology and Geochemistry from Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic and a PhD in Earth Sciences from Okayama University, Japan. Born and raised in the Czech Republic, she also lived for four years in Japan. After a period as a fellow at universities in the UK, USA and the Czech Republic and as a scientist at the Geophysical Institute in Prague, she worked as a manager supervising finance, purchasing and HR functions at the Japanese company Aoyama Automotive Fasteners in the Czech Republic. She is currently the project manager responsible for Japanese investments at Czech Invest. In addition to her native Czech, she is fluent in English and Japanese and is a Japanese calligraphy and bonsai enthusiast.

Andrew Bender

Job Titles:

Senior Consultant
Contributor to Publications Including the Los Angeles Times

Andrew Bender holds a B.A. in International Relations and Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A./M.A. with concentrations in Multinational Management and East Asian Studies from the Joseph H. Lauder Institute and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Andrew has worked with Japanese firms since the mid-1980s. He began his career in the Investment Advisory Department of JAFCO, Japan's largest venture capital company and then part of the Nomura Securities Group. Later he worked in development, production, and acquisitions of filmed entertainment for Fujisankei Communications in Los Angeles. He also headed up the U.S. operations of a Japanese-owned animation and computer graphics house. Since joining Japan Intercultural Consulting in 2001, Andrew has counseled clients in industries as diverse as manufacturing, management consulting and entertainment. Seminar participants often comment on his conversational, open style, whether in English or Japanese, animated with his own experience and others'. Outside of JIC, Andrew is a frequent contributor to publications including The Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Travel + Leisure, Hemispheres (United Airlines' in-flight magazine), Silver Kris (Singapore Airlines' in-flight magazine), and Lonely Planet travel guides (including the guide to Japan). He also serves as study leader on trips for overseas visitors to Japan. Andrew is fluent in Japanese and speaks conversational French.

April Yacoub

Job Titles:

Senior Consultant

April Yacoub brings a global perspective to her work with more than two decades of living and working experience in Japan, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, and Israel. Partnering with individuals and teams from diverse sectors, she specializes in delivering cross-cultural training and leadership development coaching. Her primary focus is to foster self-awareness and understanding among diverse mindsets for positive outcomes. In her collaborative initiatives, April has co-written articles on international business for the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and partnered with cross-cultural experts in webinars exploring the impact of cultural diversity in business. Additionally, she delivers lectures and activities on diversity in the US, community engagement, cultural awareness, conflict resolution, culture shock, and self-care to international students in the U.S. Before joining Japan Intercultural Consulting, April was a Global Business Development Consultant for a manufacturing company in Israel, successfully expanding their business into the U.S. and Canadian markets. April holds an MSc in International Relations and Development from Aalborg University in Denmark and a BA in Communications from the University of California, San Diego. April's certifications include: • Benchmark Suite/Benchmarks 360 Assessment Suite • Influence Style Indicator • WorkPlace Big Five Profile • Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (Firo-B) • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) • MBTI Step II • PerSight • Influence Style Indicator • Skillscope

Ayaka Matsui

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / New York, USA

Ayaka Matsui is a bilingual (English & Japanese), bicultural marketing strategist, specializing in cross-cultural marketing. Ayaka's has a passion for helping brands that are expanding and growing in unfamiliar international markets through digital communication. She works closely with Japanese brands expanding into US market and global brands entering Japanese markets. Whether helping startups and Fortune 500 companies launch new products or assisting a global fashion brand in develop a new digital marketing strategy to enter the US market, she leverages her diverse background to help brands reach their target audience in an authentic way and expand globally. As a dynamic and goal-focused professional, she utilizes a unique combination of creativity, passion for brands, international experience and teamwork to design and execute solutions that create customer value. Ayaka's specialties include

Ayako Hashimoto

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / Mexico

Ayako combines a deep knowledge of Japanese, Mexican, and U.S. culture with extensive experience as a cross-cultural facilitator. Born in Tokyo, she received her B.A. in policy management from Keio University in 1998. She has lived in Mexico for more than 15 years and, even after relocating to Spain in 2016, continues to practice trilingual interpretation and specialize in facilitating trainings on lean manufacturing for multinational corporations in Mexico. In addition to her work as a cross-cultural trainer, Ayako's areas of expertise include legal issues for business development in Mexico, localization, intercultural labour practices, and strategic process development. As a freelance consultant, she has worked on a diverse array of projects for both Japanese and Mexican clients from the public and private sectors. From 1998 to 2008, she worked as a consultant and legal advisor to a legal professional corporation in Guadalajara, Mexico. From 2010 to 2013 she was involved in a project for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), helping organic coffee growers in Chiapas that employed continuous improvement and lean manufacturing methods, and working with them as a consultant on lean project designs and business development. At the same time, she led two independent study projects with the Universidad Iberoamericana on improving processes on the coffee production in indigenous communities in the state of Chiapas. Since 2014, she has been a technical advisor for a cooperative of coffee growers that operates a production plant in Chiapas and various coffee shops in major cities in Mexico. She is passionate about building an effective working team of business counterparts of diverse cultural backgrounds in different locations around the world. She is certified as an official translator and interpreter of English, Spanish and Japanese, authorized by the Supreme Court of Justice of the State of Jalisco, Mexico. In addition to her native Japanese, Ayako is fluent in written and spoken Spanish and English, and has elementary proficiency in French.

Bryan Jacop

Job Titles:

Senior Consultant
Certified Coach
Senior Consultant / Tokyo, Japan

With more than 25 years of international experience, Bryan has helped companies like CyberAgent America, Turtle Beach, and KLab balance their international expansion goals. Working with companies based in Japan, the U.S., and Western Europe, he balances the goals and missions of a company's home office with the local markets' concerns. Clients consistently report how valuable they find Bryan's insights and expertise in understanding cultural differences, business practices, communication nuances, and relationship-building techniques. Bryan, who is fluent in Japanese, is often sought out for his candor and direct approach to solving problems. He understands how to get to the heart of an issue and works with all stakeholders to develop an actionable plan with clear milestones and objectives. His main areas of focus are management and leadership styles, sales and marketing, and business operations. He often partners with international companies looking to enter the new markets. He helps companies create and preserve company culture, and adapt to the local work and business environment. Bryan is also a certified coach helping individuals and companies get to the next stage. He works with clients to analyze challenges and helping them get to the answers while suggesting outside-the-box solutions they may not have considered. He sets accountability benchmarks and milestones clients will work towards so they achieve week-over-week improvement. Clients come away feeling like they are the architect of the solutions they are implementing, so it's easier for them to demonstrate long-term commitment. In addition to his work with Japan Intercultural Consulting, Bryan works extensively with small and medium-sized companies in Tokyo, helping them solve sales and marketing challenges and exploring ways to generate new revenue. In San Francisco, he has a proven track record of getting startups from launch to above $5 million in annual recurring revenue. Bryan also excels at helping clients reduce churn and improve customer retention in B2B and B2C environments. By sitting with clients and learning about their issues, he builds consensus across teams with different goals and in different geographies to push for meaningful improvements to products and services. Bryan has a dual B.A. in International Relations and Japanese Language and Culture from the University of the Pacific and attended Kwansei Gakuin University in Hyogo, Japan, for a Japanese language immersion program.

Carolyn Goldman

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / Mexico
Television Journalist

Carolyn Goldman is an award-winning television journalist, who holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature and Hispanic Studies from Brown University, and a TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) certification from Columbia University. Carolyn first moved to Mexico City in 1992 as a research assistant for a university professor, and started her career in journalism as a book reviewer for a national daily newspaper in Mexico. Returning to her hometown of New York City, she moved into television, producing national and international news for the Public Broadcasting System, and later for NBC Network News, and Dateline NBC, the network's in-depth magazine program. Carolyn returned to Mexico in 2005, where she describes her expanded professional career as general "fixer." She has worked as a news journalist for U.S. television networks, and produced written and video content for publicity agencies and Fortune 500 companies. She has also worked as a translator, editor, English teacher, and consultant for Mexican students and professionals applying to post-graduate programs abroad. She has managed the estates of expatriated families, and acted as mediator between U.S. and Mexican attorneys and financial advisers. Fluent in spoken and written English and Spanish, as well as the idiosyncrasies of both U.S. and Mexican cultures, Carolyn is an expert in helping individual, family, and corporate clients successfully navigate the divide between the two countries.

Chie Misumi

Job Titles:

Senior Consultant
Senior Consultant / Netherlands

After having obtained her B.A. in Japan, Chie Misumi received a M.A. in Intercultural Communications from California State University, Fullerton. She is a native speaker of Japanese and also speaks English, Dutch and Spanish. Born and raised in Japan, she has lived in the U.S., Spain, and currently resides in the Netherlands. After working for the European headquarters of Canon, with experiences in the Human Resources Department, covering areas such as recruitment, job descriptions, evaluation, training and inductions, she joined the Japanese Chamber of Commerce to give support to Japanese companies in doing business in the Netherlands and engaged in expanding business relationships between the Netherlands and Japan. Currently she is a lecturer in International Business School at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, and lectures at various other universities within and outside the Netherlands on intercultural management and communications.

Cindy Baker

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / United Kingdom

A graduate of Auckland University, Cindy Baker received a B.A. with a double major in Japanese and Business Studies. She also represented New Zealand on a trip to Japan as a result of winning a Japan Foundation Award for Excellence in Japanese. She was then awarded an Auckland University Post Graduate Scholarship which took her to Sophia University in Japan, from which she graduated with a Certificate of Advanced Japanese Studies. Cindy lived and worked in Tokyo for 10 years. She began her career in the financial industry, specializing in Japanese equities. Her first six years in the industry, she was a financial analyst covering the construction, housing and real estate sector. This role involved extensive interaction with Japanese corporates and various government and industry representatives. She then switched to a role in sales, becoming Head of Sales for a Kleinwort Benson in Tokyo actively covering both domestic and foreign investment institutions. Her move to London was initially working in equity sales for James Capel and then as Head of Japanese Equity Sales for Smith Barney and Director of Japanese Equity Sales for Citigroup Capital Markets. She is now at a boutique research house, Pelham Smithers Associates, selling bespoke research to a number of global financial institutions.

Claudia Romberg

Job Titles:

Coach
Consultant
Trainer
EU Representative
EU Representative / Germany
Specialist

Claudia Romberg holds an M.A. with a major in Japanese History of Religion from Leiden University, The Netherlands. Claudia lived in Japan for seven years, including two years of studying at Tokyo University and a year as a Visiting Scholar at Tokyo University and Nanzan University, Nagoya. She worked as Assistant Professor of Japanese Religion at Amsterdam Free University and then started her business career as Executive Director of the oldest German institution in Japan, the German East Asiatic Society (OAG), Tokyo, were she was in charge of major cross-cultural events, projects and publishing. At the same time she worked as a marketing consultant for Dentsu Inc. and other Japanese companies and institutions. She is fluent in German, Dutch, English and Japanese, speaks conversational French and has many years of experience in interpreting. Claudia has worked as consultant, trainer and coach for almost ten years with more than forty companies, joint ventures and M&As in different industries (automotive, electronics, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, consumer products, etc.) and countries (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, China and Japan). She holds a certificate in Ericksonian coaching and has facilitated communication and management training programs for multi-national cooperation. Additionally Claudia is a specialist with many years of experience in the field of Toyota Production System (Lean Manufacturing & Management). Claudia specifically focuses on the question of how cultural backgrounds influence a company's performance system and helps cross-cultural teams to improve and align their processes accordingly.

Daniel Schmitt

Job Titles:

Consultant
Senior Consultant

Daniel Thomas Schmitt completed his undergraduate degree in English at Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and holds a Master's degree in Literature from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. Daniel gained exposure to Japan through his seven years living there teaching English in the Japanese public school system. Initially, as a member of the JET Program, he taught junior high school students in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture for three years. Upon completion of the JET Program tenure he led a multinational team of instructors at Narita Kokusai High School in Narita, Chiba Prefecture as a member of the Wisconsin-Chiba Sister Schools Program. After returning to the U.S., Daniel joined Sumitomo Electric Carbide, where he worked for five years in total, both at its office in Illinois and on a 1-year assignment to headquarters in Osaka. He was involved in supply chain management, business administration, and human resource management. He supervised a $500K project for implementation of a warehouse management system and purchased and maintained inventory worth over $100 million. Working closely with both Japanese and American colleagues, his duties included providing linguistic support for trade shows, business meetings, publications, presentations, technical training, and factory tours. In the HR area, he assisted with recruiting, hiring, job description creation, and termination of staff. In addition to his work with Japan Intercultural Consulting, Daniel currently owns and operates private businesses in both the United States and Japan. He is regularly invited to join federal trade missions to Asia. He also continues to work in manufacturing as an ISO auditor and operations manager with a focus on procurement, global supply chain logistics, and inventory control. Daniel is also an active participant in the sister state relationship between the state of Wisconsin and Chiba Prefecture. As Vice President of Wisconsin-Chiba, Inc. he helps to coordinate regular exchange activities focusing on business, science, education, and culture often serving as a guide and interpreter for visiting delegations from Japan. He has trained in Aikido for more than 20 years and is currently Dojo-cho at Aikido of Hales Corners in the suburbs of Milwaukee.

Donald Steiny

Job Titles:

Instructor
Investor
Software Engineer

Elizabeth Floyd Mair

Job Titles:

Consultant

Elizabeth, a native of Albany, N.Y., earned an M.F.A. in East Asian Languages and Literature (Japanese) at the University of Iowa before heading to Japan. She spent the next 15 years living and working in Tokyo. While in Japan, she graduated from the one-year advanced language program offered by the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies, also known as the Stanford Center. She spent the next five years working as a translator and interpreter in the major Japanese bank Yasuda Trust before moving to a position as book editor with Kodansha International, where she produced books in English on topics including Japanese business practices, language, art, and cooking. During her nine years with Kodansha, she regularly presented book proposals in Japanese at meetings with company executives; met with Japanese authors by herself, gaining permission to publish English versions of their books and ironing out contract details (all in Japanese); and interpreted at company-wide business functions. While in Japan she made a wide circle of Japanese acquaintances and friends from all walks of life including many company executives and became adept at navigating between Japanese and Western culture in a wide variety of situations. Since returning to the U.S. she has taught Japanese language at Bennington College and translation of Japanese literature at the State University of New York at Albany. She has worked as a freelance editorial consultant on book projects related to Japan. She has also served as a freelance interpreter (in design meetings as well as in a clean room environment) for local company GE Healthcare, interpreting between Japanese and American engineers on the design, installation, and use of high-tech equipment. She also works as a freelance essay and features writer. Her work has appeared in publications including The San Francisco Chronicle, The Albany Times Union, and Hudson Valley magazine. Elizabeth excels at bringing people together and at narrowing the cultural divide with sensitivity and humor.

Elliot Conti

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / Tokyo, Japan
Executive Director of the Prometheus Foundation

Elliot Conti has worked in and consulted for an array of industries, universities, and legislative bodies in Japan. He has experience lecturing, training, and conducting workshops on topics as wide as employing/ retaining foreigners in Japanese companies, productivity and the Japanese economy, intercultural communication, strategic design, networking in Japan, Japanese language acquisition, immigration and urban poverty, and more. He has a particular specialty in working with Japanese companies, providing them an outside perspective on their way to becoming more international. Born and raised in the United States, Elliot has lived in Japan for over ten years. He helped establish the non-profit Global Aichi in Nagoya and served as the first General Manager for just over three years, working to assist Japanese companies in their effort to hire and retain high-skilled foreign talent. During that time, he also taught a course on international marketing as a part-time lecturer at Nagoya University. He then joined KCJ GROUP, Inc. and played an integral role in establishing KidZania Fukuoka, establishing key partnerships with corporate sponsors, government bodies, and local universities. In addition to his work as a consultant, Elliot currently serves as the Executive Director of the Prometheus Foundation, the General Manager of Global Village Yurakucho House, and an advisor for Global Aichi. He has been featured in the Japanese media numerous times, most notably introduced as one of the "30 Pioneers of the New Era" by Wedge magazine. Elliot holds a B.A. from Denison University's department of East Asian Studies and a masters in Sociology from Osaka City University (currently Osaka Metropolitan University).

Emma Johnson

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / United Kingdom

After graduating with honors with a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Reading, Emma Johnson lived and worked in Hokkaido, Japan from 1992 - 1995. She then earned a Master's in Japanese from Sheffield University and went on to work at the Embassy of Japan in London, during which time she passed the top level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test - Level 1. As Inward Investment Manager - Japan at Yorkshire Forward, Emma encouraged several Japanese companies to invest in the region. Emma then took up the post of Associate Director at the Japan Centre North West, developing and delivering a range of Japan-related business services, including the English Language Study and Work Experience Programme for Japanese organisations, translation services and cross-cultural awareness business briefings. Throughout her career, she has undertaken countless business trips to Japan talking to corporations in their own language and she has organized many Japanese delegations to the UK. She has been a finalist in the Sir Peter Parker Awards for Spoken Business Japanese. More recently, Emma has worked closely with a large Japanese logistics company to prepare an international training program to help the company's high-potential middle managers develop a global mindset. Emma has also conducted market research into the importance of cross-cultural awareness in business and has gained her Certificate in Intercultural Training.

Eric De Groot

Job Titles:

Canada Representative
Canada Representative / Toronto, Canada

Eric De Groot has had a 30 plus year career successfully managing the business operations of non-Japanese multinational companies in Japan and APAC. His specialty is in creating value and solving problems for such organizations, primarily in the building/construction and chemicals industries. He has established Japanese entities, improved profitability through transformation of manufacturing (Kaizen), sales and distribution channels, obtained product certifications and approvals in opaque regulatory environments, managed complex global supply chains, handled regulatory and other crises and had full PL responsibility for APAC operations of both large multinational corporations and SMEs. Hailing from Toronto, Canada, where he now resides, Eric first came to Japan in 1988, and worked in language training before embarking on a business career and earning a master's degree in Japanese language and studies in 1999. He served as Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan from 2009 to 2011 and remains involved in the CCCJ as their representative in Toronto. He also maintains membership in the Toronto Japanese Association of Commerce and Industry and sits on the board of directors of the Canada Japan Society. He most recently lived in Kobe from 2022 to 2024. Having managed the Japanese and APAC operations of companies from Canada, the United States and the EU, Eric is keenly aware of the risks posed by the many cross-cultural misalignments possible when Japanese and non-Japanese organizations need to work together. This is especially so in the area of business partnerships or distribution/licensing agreements where clarity of communication and alignment of expectations are critical.

Frederick Stimson Harriman

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / Washington, USA

Fred eventually began offering services as a consultant himself in the application of lean manufacturing. Clients include factories producing temperature sensors, system cabinets and furniture, carbon black, and cell phones. He has helped clients realize significant cost avoidance through right-sized equipment, unleash unused production capacity by reconfiguring lines, enable simultaneous production of different products without increasing personnel, achieve work-cycle time reduction, and prevent material losses. His approach is to advocate for an environment of responsibility and innovation in the workplace. A representative project took him to Chihuahua, Mexico to help improve productivity at a cell phone plant that was dealing with the unstoppable production increases in China that were putting the plant's very existence in danger. Through hands-on workshops, Fred helped the focus area more than double its output without increasing personnel.

Haruko Sagawa

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / Italy

Haruko Sagawa was born and raised in Japan and is now a permanent resident of Italy. She originally qualified with a degree in Veterinarian Medicine from Tokyo University A&T, but after studying English in the UK, she switched careers to work in the International Sales Department of Nidec Copal Electronics in their Tokyo headquarters for three years, before being transferred to work as marketing manager of their Frankfurt branch in Germany. Haruko then moved to Italy, to work in the Milan office of Summit Pharma, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, for five years. Since then, she has been working as an interpreter, working in Italian, English and Japanese, for various corporate clients in Italy. She was also the translator of the Japanese edition of the Italian art book Fronteversismo, published in 2014.

Heather Harlan

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / New York, USA

Heather Harlan studied Japanese at Wesleyan University, from where she graduated with a B.A. degree in English. She made her first trip to Japan after winning a Wesleyan scholarship to participate in the prestigious Japan-America Student Conference, an annual summer exchange program for college and graduate school students. After graduation, she lived in Tokyo teaching English at a commercial language school while continuing to study the Japanese language and immerse herself in the culture through homestays with Japanese families. She later returned to New York to embark on a career in journalism and joined the New York bureau of Kyodo News Service as a reporter, where she stayed for five years before leaving to work as an independent journalist. She is also a winner of the Kawamura Cultural Institute's Japanese Speech Contest, held at the Japan Society in New York. Heather is currently a New York-based independent print and broadcast journalist working primarily with Japan's major national media outlets. She covers a wide range of subjects including American politics, economics, and culture. She has written for The New York Times, Kyodo News Service, The Japan Times, Asianweek, and other publications. Her column, "Ask Heather," offering answers to Japanese readers' questions about American culture, appeared regularly for a decade in OCS News. In 2006, she began writing a column for Shukan NY Seikatsu, a Japanese-language weekly serving New York's Japanese ex-pat community. The column, "Heather Harlan's Culture Crossing," explores U.S.-Japan news issues and cultural differences. In her broadcast work, Heather has produced news stories for Japanese TV networks NHK, NTV, TBS, TV Asahi and others. She has reported in Japanese on-air for NHK radio and TBS radio, and in English for the NHK educational channel.

Hiroshi Iwasaki

Job Titles:

Detroit Representative
Detroit Representative / Michigan, USA

Born and raised in Kanagawa, Japan, Hiroshi Iwasaki worked in the Japanese automotive industry in North America for more than 17 years. His work assignments were in Michigan, Indiana and Canada. In 1987 Hiroshi moved to Michigan to start up the U.S. design and development facility of a Japanese tier 1 supplier. He returned to the parent company in Japan in 1989 and continued to work for their overseas operation covering Europe as well as North America. In 1999 he returned to the U.S. facility in executive management. In 2002 Hiroshi moved to another Japanese tier 1 parts supplier in executive management in Indiana. Hiroshi was there from ground-breaking to a successful launch. He was instrumental in developing positive relationships between American staff and Japanese staff that came from the parent company in Japan. In 2009 Hiroshi moved to their Canadian plant in Ontario and became the president. During his 4 years in Canada, he established a system for the local staff to run the operation. He successfully handed over his position to a Canadian in 2013. This was the first time a local staff member became the president in that location. Hiroshi has always tried to establish ways for Japanese and local staff (Americans and Canadians) to create more positive relationships for future success. Hiroshi earned his B.S. degree from Tokyo University of Science in 1970. He speaks fluent English as well as native Japanese.

Ian Fallmann

Job Titles:

Senior Consultant
Professional Executive Coach
Senior Consultant / United Kingdom

Ian spent 21 years in Japan, 15 as Asia-Pacific Managing Director for Bloomberg, where he grew the business to a $400 million turn-over operation by 2003. He was responsible for 1,200 people in 18 countries and around 25 different nationalities. He reported directly to the company co-founder, Michael Bloomberg. Prior to his work at Bloomberg, he spent 2 years in a financial institution and 5 years working for Kobe Steel. Ian is an accredited professional executive coach with 20 years' experience and an advanced diploma in executive coaching. He has a track record of working with successful senior executives who want to: develop the attitude and behaviors needed as a leader help understand habitual patterns and broaden the style and range to move forward from previously rigid or stuck problems, situations and relationships manage and lead in times of complexity, change and ambiguity build leadership brand and gravitas Ian also coaches and acts as an advisor for small and medium sized enterprises. He works with the owners of SMEs to help them find expert advisors for part time positions (fractional directors) and is heavily involved in team coaching. Ian has a B.A. in Economics from Sussex University. He is a non-executive director of a Japanese business. He believes even the best can get better and coaching is about helping others to achieve their goals - something he parallels in his own life; Ian has successfully completed 20 marathons.

Jillian Yorke

Jillian Yorke was born in the UK and has lived in Japan since 1978. She received a B.A. in Japanese Language and Literature, and a Diploma in Criminology from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She has undergone Critical Incident Stress Management training and been certified by the CISM Institute at the University of Maryland, and has also studied at ALC Institute, Tsuda Business School, and the Media Arts Academy in Tokyo. Her work experience includes being the founder and vice president of the International Golf Research Institute, and editor of and main writer for Japan Golf Report (the first English-language trade publication about Japanese golf). She has received several awards for translation and cross-cultural and linguistic skills. In addition to her affiliation with Japan Intercultural Consulting, Jillian is a freelance cross-cultural trainer, writer, translator, editor, teacher, and consultant, and also works for the Public Relations Office of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. She has co-authored two books with Rochelle Kopp, Eigo de Buntsu Shimasen ka? (How to Improve Your English Through E-Mail Correspondence) and Global Elite: Sekai de Seiko Suru Eigoryoku to Bijinesuryoku wo Mi ni Tsukeru Hoho (How to Work Well With Non-Japanese).

Jim Colby

Job Titles:

Senior Consultant

Jim applies his extensive experience as a leader in a global setting to help clients develop effective teams and build highly capable HR organizations. He has a successful history of partnering with senior executives to clarify corporate vision, create effective strategy, implement initiatives, retain and develop top talent, and execute the achievement of corporate strategies, sales, and revenue capture. Jim is sought out for his candor and natural, inquisitive problem-solving approach. He focuses his collaborative style on aligning appropriate HR strategies to drive an organization's vision and objectives. Jim has supported multiple C-level officers and division presidents in companies with sales from $50 million to $12 billion. His portfolio of human resources experience includes integration and change management, leadership development and coaching, building talent development programs and related implementation plans, succession planning, talent acquisition and retention strategies, acquisition due diligence, employee relations, performance management, employee communications, compensation, benefits, workplace investigations, and conflict resolution. Jim's experience crosses a wide variety of business environments, including manufacturing, R&D, software engineering, OEM, media, corporate, field, sales, and marketing. In addition to working in various business environments, he has experience in industries such as consumer products, broadcast and professional products, components, media, service, and hospitality. He has driven HR strategy and execution for organizations in various stages of development, from start-up to growth, turnaround to closure. Most recently before partnering with Japan Intercultural Consulting, Jim was Vice President of Human Resources for Sony Electronics Inc., in that role; Jim was responsible for HR support for all the Company's business units and organizations throughout the United States as well as International Human Resources, Diversity, and Compliance. Jim has a deep understanding of the cultural differences inherent in globally-operating organizations. Thanks to his approach, he was invited to work on several global task forces, linking the U.S. perspective with Sony's global needs and home-country culture to help create successful integrated solutions. Specific to leadership and management development, Jim has led the creation of numerous leadership development training programs and succession planning workshops for managers and facilitated those programs across numerous businesses. For example, Jim acted as the key developer of the leadership plans and programs for one of Sony Electronics' manufacturing companies, Sony Professional Products. In that role as a part of the strategic business turnaround plan, the leadership team was successful in helping a business that had not been profitable for 8 years become profitable within 18 months. During this same period, Jim served on an advisory board for the University of Denver's Daniels Graduate School of Business for the creation of the high potential leader development program, "Emerging Leaders, Navigating the Future" based on the principles outlined in Kouzes and Posner's Leadership Challenge. Jim earned his Bachelor of Science degree from James Madison University and has attended executive leadership and global leadership programs at the Daniels Graduate School of Business of the University of Denver, The International Institute of Management Development, and the University of Michigan's Ross Graduate School of Business.

Judy Thompson

Job Titles:

Consultant

Judy Thompson consults with Japan Intercultural Consulting clients on issues of compensation and human resource management, applying her long experience with the Silicon Valley environment. Judy has spent more than two decades working with organizations to create compensation and other HR strategies, tools and practices that promote company success. Since launching her consulting practice in 1993, she has worked with clients ranging from early stage start-ups to large multinationals across many business sectors on a wide variety of compensation and other HR management issues. With more than 25 years in Human Resources Management and a specialty in compensation, Judy has a proven track record in finding effective solutions to a variety of business issues. Before opening her consulting practice, Judy managed compensation, benefits, staffing, training and employee relations in Silicon Valley high-tech companies, including BT North America and Harris Corporation. Earlier, she worked at Far West Laboratory for Educational R&D, where she conducted statistical research and surveys. Judy also speaks to various industry groups on a variety of compensation and HR topics, and serves as expert witness in compensation-related court cases. World at Work (formerly American Compensation Association) has designated Judy as a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP). She holds an M.A. in Organization Studies from San Francisco State University, an M.L.A. in Liberal Arts from Southern Methodist University, and a B.A. in Education from North Texas University. She is a member of World at Work, Bay Area Council of Business Advisors, Northern California Human Resources Association and Women in Consulting.

Julia von dem Bussche-Hünnefeld

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / Germany

Julia has a degree in the Economics and Politics of East Asia from Ruhr-University Bochum, with a major in Japanese business. She then graduated with a Masters in International Management, majoring in human resources management, from Bochum University, during which time she also spent 5 months studying in Shanghai, China at Tongji University. She has been involved in the design and delivery of cross-cultural training on Japan as an intern for Pilkington Deutschland and also for Akebono Brake during a one-year assignment as intern and contract employee at their headquarters in Japan. After completing her studies, Julia worked in HR for the Japanese chemicals, cement and machinery company Ube Europe and then joined the Japanese bearings company NSK Deutschland as assistant to the HR director where, among other tasks, she supported communication and projects with the Japanese headquarters. In both companies she particularly focused on Japanese expatriate relocation and support, and this has led to her starting her own relocation consultancy. Julia is fluent in German, English and Japanese and has a basic command of Mandarin Chinese, French and Spanish.

Kazuko Nagao

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / Mexico

Kazuko is one of the most highly respected teachers of the Japanese language in Mexico, and has over twenty-five years of experience in the field of Japanese pedagogy. Her main area of research is linguistics, particularly the comparative study of Japanese and Mexican languages and cultures. Born and raised in Hiroshima, she has lived in Mexico City since 1991. Early in her career, after several years of teaching in Japan, she joined the faculty of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in 1991, where she has taught continuously since then; and from 2005 to 2009 she served as chair of that institution's Department of Russian, Asian Languages and Modern Greek at the Centro de Enseñanza de Lenguas Extranjeras. She has conducted teacher training, since 2007 has served as an advisor for the learning center Mediateca (Media Library), and since 2015 has directed Teletándem, a language exchange conversation program with other universities. Since 2017, when the center changed its name to the National School of Languages, Linguistics and Translation (Escuela Nacional de Lenguas, Lingüística y Traducción, or ENALLT), she has taught "Languages as a Subject of Study" in the bachelor's degree program for applied linguistics. She actively participates in organizing academic events as part of a committee on applied linguistics, and conducts seminars on mutual understanding and collaboration in intercultural work environments. Kazuko has published a number of academic articles on pedagogical methodologies, as well as comparative studies on topics such as politeness and the act of apologizing in Japanese and Mexican cultures. She is also active as a translator and interpreter of the Japanese language. She is a member of the Mexican Association of the Japanese Language and has served on its board of directors (2003-2005 and 2019-2021). Kazuko earned a B.A. degree in Japanese Linguistics from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the Centro de Enseñanza de Lenguas Extranjeras at UNAM.

Kazutaka Yamamoto

Job Titles:

Advisor
Advisor / Tokyo, Japan

Keiko Nakano

Job Titles:

Consultant and Executive Coach
Japan Representative
Japan Representative / Tokyo, Japan

Keiko Nakano is a consultant and executive coach specializing in cross-cultural communication, public relations and leadership development. She has significant experience in the international arena gained from her 15-year service in the Japanese Government as well as her subsequent experience as an executive coach. She has lived in both the U.S. and U.K. After graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University with a B.A. in International Politics, Keiko studied at London University. She obtained a postgraduate Diploma in World Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and an M.A. in War Studies from King's College London. After returning to Japan, Keiko started her professional career in the Japanese Ministry of Defense, where she gained broad experience in defense policymaking, protocol, defense intelligence, public affairs and defense policymaking. Keiko was also the first Japanese governmental exchange officer dispatched to the Pentagon (the U.S. Department of Defense). While working at the Pentagon's public affairs office, she conducted research work on the U.S. Government's Public Diplomacy Strategy. Throughout her 15 years' service in the Ministry of Defense, Keiko was involved in a variety of bilateral and multinational initiatives which required expertise in cross-cultural communication. It was during this time that she discovered JIC Founder Rochelle Kopp's work and applied it to her activities in the government. After retiring from the Ministry of Defense, Keiko started an English education business and worked as the principal of an English language school for nearly 4 years. She facilitated and led numerous seminars and lectures for major Japanese companies and universities. The total number of participants in her seminars exceeded 3,000. She also developed and provided effective English communication programs targeted at company executives. In this role, she successfully developed and led a team with rich diversity in terms of nationalities, cultures, languages, genders, ages and social/professional backgrounds. All through her career, Keiko's consistent interest and passion have centered on the areas of developing motivation, leadership, team-building and empowering women. After qualifying as a professional coach in 2018, Keiko started providing executive coaching and mentoring services for female managers in the aforementioned areas in addition to cross-cultural training. She is an ICF Professional Certified Coach. Keiko became Chief Representative of Japan Intercultural Consulting's Japan Branch in April, 2020.

Keiko Takaki

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / Tokyo, Japan

Keiko Takaki has significant experience in international business, especially in Asia. Keiko has worked as a manager for local companies in China and Taiwan and has also worked for a consulting firm in Japan, helping Japanese companies with their global business strategies. Keiko holds an M.B.A. degree from the University of Bath, UK. Currently, as a professional coach, Keiko focuses on helping leaders and teams improve their performance and organizational culture. After graduating from Nanzan University with a B.A. in English and American Studies, Keiko started her career at a leading Japanese travel agency where she worked in corporate sales for 4 years. Keiko then moved to Shanghai, where she studied Mandarin Chinese and took a position as a sales manager at a local hotel, responsible for developing the Japanese market. At that time, Keiko was the only foreigner in the Chinese company, which raised her awareness of cross-cultural communication. While Keiko herself felt the language and cultural barriers within the company, as a representative of the Chinese company, she focused on overcoming cross-cultural differences in business culture between Chinese and Japanese companies to build a win-win business relationship. After spending 2.5 years in Shanghai, Keiko moved to a hotel managed by an international hotel chain in Taiwan and worked as a manager for another 2.5 years. Then Keiko moved to the U.K. to obtain an M.B.A. Keiko returned to Japan from the U.K. and was involved in the launch of an internet-related company, and then joined Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting where she was engaged in consulting and research on overseas business strategies for major Japanese companies and government agencies such as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Keiko worked on many projects supporting Japanese companies' business development in emerging markets in China and Southeast Asia. After several years of being a full-time mother, Keiko came back to work as a design strategist at an American design firm, where she was involved in service concept creation and branding consulting. Currently, Keiko helps professionals, leaders, executives and their teams improve their performance through business coaching and workshop-based training. Keiko is an ICF Associate Certified Coach.

Keith Kakehashi

Job Titles:

Senior Consultant
Advisory Board Member for a Project Called "HR Leaders Next
Management and Human Resources Consultant
Senior Consultant / Tokyo, Japan

Keith Kakehashi is a bilingual management and human resources consultant with extensive business management experience in manufacturing and operations at global locations such as Japan, U.S, Europe and Asian countries including China, Malaysia, Vietnam and India. After holding various senior management positions at Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG) Group, one of the largest glass manufacturing companies operating in more than 20 countries with over 20,000 employees, Keith launched his own consulting business in 2020. He provides consulting services to companies such as a TSE listed food oil company, a medical corporation, and a European global manufacturing company. He also works as a senior consultant for several HR related institutes. Topics addressed by Keith in his consulting service include organizational purpose and values, competencies, compensation, performance management, merit increases, interviews for executive hiring, advice on terms and conditions when a foreign capital owned company hires a local Japanese manager, feedback training for managers, and policy handbook amendments. At his first fourteen years with NSG Group, Keith was mainly engaged in domestic labor administration and human resource management roles. After 8 years as an expatriate in the U.S and the U.K, he was involved in the acquisition of a U.K listed company, Pilkington plc, in 2006. After the completion of the organizational integration he was appointed to be a Corporate Officer in 2011. He worked under British and Brazilian Chief HR Officers while being responsible for global Center of Excellence functions in Compensation, Learning & Development and Talent Management as well as Regional HR management as Regional HR Director for Asia. In 2017, he established a global Inclusion & Diversity Committee from scratch and drove DE&I initiatives across the group. Keith was also active in external HR professional networking while he was at NSG Group. He delivered lectures on global M&A and talent management over 40 times including at Doshisha University's global MBA program and at the Academic Association for Organizational Science. His interviews and articles were included in several HR professional magazines and bulletins published by organizations such as the Institute of Labor Administration, PWC, Recruit and CELM. In 2018, Keith was appointed as an advisory board member for a project called "HR Leaders Next" organized by the Japan Management Association. In 2020, Keith was invited to be a study group member by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, to develop a "Report of the Study Group on Improvement of Sustainable Corporate Value and Human Capital". In 2021, he completed a professional faculty development course at the Graduate School of Information & Communication. He also posted a joint paper, Working in Japan as an Expatriate: Practical Guidance towards Achieving Assignment Success, to the website of the EU-Japan Center for Industrial Cooperation.

Kimi Komisarof

Job Titles:

Executive Coach, Trainer

Kimi Komisarof is an executive coach, trainer, and consultant specializing in communication in organizations including intercultural communication, communication skills and strategies, as well as conflict resolution. She is a coach certified by Coach 21 (accredited by the International Coach Federation) and Shougai Gakushu Kaihatsu Zaidan. She is also a lecturer at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, teaching intercultural communication. Kimi holds an M.A. degree in intercultural relations from Lesley College (Massachusetts, USA) and a B.A. degree in English Literature from Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan). She served as a guest lecturer at the Institut Superieur d'Agriculture's (ISA) Winter Institute for Intercultural Communication in Lille, France. She also co-authored the book, Intercultural Communication Workbook published by Sanshusha in 2001.

Liza Maronese

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / France

Liza Maronese completed a Master's degree in Japanese Language and Culture along with International Relations Studies at INALCO - the Oriental Language and Culture National Institute, established in 1795 and the premier educational institution in France for Japanese studies. She since worked for three years in two organizations in Osaka, Japan. Firstly, she was a consultant at the French Trade Commission assisting French companies wishing to enter the Japanese market. She then joined Minerva-HD - an e-commerce Japanese company specialized in the outdoor sector - as a business developer. Since her return to France in 2011, she has been advising French companies such as Air France and Catalina Marketing on how to better understand the Japanese market, including maximizing their web marketing. Liza is also the author of a book about Japan, Dictionnaire Insolite du Japon, published in 2009.

Marian Moya

Job Titles:

Consultant
Consultant / Buenos Aires, Argentina
Director of the Center for Japanese Studies

Marian Moya holds a Ph.D. in sociology and an MA in sociology of media from Rikkyo University, and an M.A. in cultural anthropology the University of Buenos Aires. She has extensive theoretical and practical experience in the fields of organizational culture, ethnography of consumer and corporate internal operations, cultural diversity, cross-cultural communication, and social media. Marian was born in Buenos Aires. While living in Osaka and Tokyo for a decade, she worked in companies such as Nissan Motor Company, Mitsubishi Motors, Sumitomo Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Japanese National Railways as a language and cultural consultant, gaining a deep knowledge of Japanese corporate culture. She also served as a visiting professor at Sophia University, where she taught Japanese popular culture. Marian is director of the Center for Japanese Studies at the National University of San Martín, Buenos Aires, where she teaches and oversees the postgraduate course "Japanese Culture and Society," and teaches applied anthropology (including organizational and business anthropology) at the undergraduate and graduate levels; she is also a professor at the Open University of Catalunya. Her current research focuses on the cultural challenges of the implementation of the Japanese kaizen (continuous improvement) model in Argentine industry. Marian has published books and articles on Japanese culture, Latin America and Japan, and globalization and cultural issues, and has lectured on these topics in several countries as well. She speaks English, Spanish, Japanese, and French, and also has knowledge of Catalan, Portuguese, and Italian.