Rakuten OPTIMISM

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Rakuten Optimism 2023
Archived Video

DAY 1
8/2Wed
DAY 2
8/3Thu
DAY 3
8/4Fri

12:00

12:10

Special Content
Special Content
Innovation with Big Data
Contributing to our digital society through innovations made possible by big data and how marketing will evolve going forward.

Rakuten Optimism 2023 Welcome and Introduction

12:10

12:45

Special Content

Rakuten Optimism 2023 Opening Keynote
Livestream available

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12:45

13:25

Tech
Tech

Realizing Trustworthy Cyber Security and Privacy

Watch Video

13:40

14:10

Tech
Tech

The Future with AI: How Human and AI Collaboration will Transform the World

Watch Video

14:10

14:40

E-Commerce
E-Commerce
New Possibilities for Online Commerce
The era of simple online product distribution is over. Today's online shoppers want to know how products are made and delivered. The possibilities are endless - and inspiring.

Building Results with the Miyakonojo City Model: Leading Furusato Nozei “Hometown Tax” Program and Digital Transformation

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14:50

15:25

AI Content
AI Content

The Future of Shopping with AI

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15:25

15:50

Special Content

The Future of Digital Economies: In Conversation with Ukraine VPM Mykhailo Fedorov
Pre-recorded

Watch Video

10:00

10:05

Special Content
Special Content
Innovation with Big Data
Contributing to our digital society through innovations made possible by big data and how marketing will evolve going forward.

Rakuten Optimism 2023: Day 2 Welcome and Introduction

10:05

10:50

Marketing
Marketing
Innovation with Big Data
Contributing to our digital society through innovations made possible by big data and how marketing will evolve going forward.

AI × Creative: Unlocking the Potential of Innovation for the Future

10:50

11:30

E-Commerce
E-Commerce
New Possibilities for Online Commerce
The era of simple online product distribution is over. Today's online shoppers want to know how products are made and delivered. The possibilities are endless - and inspiring.

Examining Goods Consumption in the 2020s: Insights into Societal Trends

11:35

12:10

Travel
Travel

Diversity for Team Building

12:10

12:50

Green
Green
Planting the Seeds for a Greener Tomorrow
What ideas must we embrace to achieve carbon neutrality?

Decarbonization x Energy: Innovative Approaches for a More Sustainable Society

12:55

13:45

Sustainability
Sustainability

Eliminating Barriers by Unleashing the Power of Diversity for Innovation

13:50

14:25

FinTech
FinTech
How Fintech is Shaping the World of Tomorrow
In the new economy, fintech services are portable and integrated comfortably into people’s lives.

Future Visions of Digital Finance: Creating Fintech Innovation with Rakuten's Technology

Watch Video

14:25

14:55

FinTech
FinTech
How Fintech is Shaping the World of Tomorrow
In the new economy, fintech services are portable and integrated comfortably into people’s lives.

Lessons in Leadership: Creating Teams that Achieve Dreams

15:00

15:40

E-Commerce
E-Commerce
New Possibilities for Online Commerce
The era of simple online product distribution is over. Today's online shoppers want to know how products are made and delivered. The possibilities are endless - and inspiring.

Future Perspectives on Digital Platforms: Exploring Expectations and Limitations

10:00

10:05

Special Content
Special Content
Innovation with Big Data
Contributing to our digital society through innovations made possible by big data and how marketing will evolve going forward.

Rakuten Optimism 2023: Day 3 Welcome and Introduction

10:05

10:35

Symphony
Symphony
Transforming Telecommunications
Telecom is a vital element of infrastructure worldwide. How must companies evolve to continue meeting society’s needs?

Racing to the Future of Telecom

Watch Video

10:35

11:05

Symphony
Symphony
Transforming Telecommunications
Telecom is a vital element of infrastructure worldwide. How must companies evolve to continue meeting society’s needs?

Edge Cloud and Why Now?
Pre-recorded

Watch Video

11:10

11:40

Mobile
Mobile
Connecting the World to Come
The world is more interconnected every day. Zoom out to get the global view of the industry as it evolves and analyze the forces shaping the course of its future.

What Makes Rakuten Mobile the "Strongest" Plan in Japan: The Cutting-Edge Tech Delivering Unlimited Data at a Low Price

11:40

12:25

Mobile
Mobile
Connecting the World to Come
The world is more interconnected every day. Zoom out to get the global view of the industry as it evolves and analyze the forces shaping the course of its future.

Forging the Future with Private Enterprise and Local Government: Creating Innovation and a Smartphone Society that Leaves No One Behind

Watch Video

12:25

12:55

Mobile
Mobile
Connecting the World to Come
The world is more interconnected every day. Zoom out to get the global view of the industry as it evolves and analyze the forces shaping the course of its future.

Rakuten "Strongest" Seminar: Lessons from Gold Medalists Saori Yoshida & Karina Maruyama on How to Become the "Strongest"

13:00

13:30

Tech
Tech

Revitalizing Japan‘s Corporate Competitiveness Through Digital Transformation

Watch Video

13:30

14:00

Special Content
Special Content
Innovation with Big Data
Contributing to our digital society through innovations made possible by big data and how marketing will evolve going forward.

Regional Revitalization: What Will and Won't Change with the Rise of Digital Solutions

14:00

14:30

Marketing
Marketing
Innovation with Big Data
Contributing to our digital society through innovations made possible by big data and how marketing will evolve going forward.

Online Merges with Offline: Reflections on the Past and Considering the Future of OMO

Watch Video

14:40

15:10

FinTech
FinTech
How Fintech is Shaping the World of Tomorrow
In the new economy, fintech services are portable and integrated comfortably into people’s lives.

Understanding Customer Desires in Digital Banking - A Conversation with the President of Japan's Leading Digital Bank with the Most Customers

15:10

15:50

FinTech
FinTech
How Fintech is Shaping the World of Tomorrow
In the new economy, fintech services are portable and integrated comfortably into people’s lives.

Guide to Asset Building: Will Japanese Stocks Reach New Record Highs?

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Go Green Toghether

In consideration of the environment, Rakuten is reducing CO2 emissions from electricity consumption at the venue to practically zero through carbon offsets*.
*J-credits derived from renewable energy will be used.

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Takahisa Ikeda

Takahisa Ikeda

Mayor of Miyakonojo City

Profile

Born on April 7, 1971 (52 years old)
Place of birth: Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture
(Education)
March 1990　Miyazaki Prefectural Miyakonojo Izumigaoka Senior High School
March 1994　Department of Economy, School of Economics, Kyushu University
March 1999　Graduate School of Economics, The University of Tokyo (M.A. in Economics)

(Professional History)
April 1994　Joined the Ministry of Finance
July 1999　Chief, Inland Research Section, Research Division, Tax Bureau, Ministry of Finance
July 2002　Assistant Section Manager, Banks Division I, Supervisory Bureau, Financial Services Agency
April 2005　First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in Australia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
April 2007　Deputy Mayor of Miyakonojo City (in charge of general affairs)
July 2010　Chief Inspector (Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Division), Budget Bureau, Ministry of Finance
November 2012　Mayor of Miyakonojo City (1st term)
November 2016　Mayor of Miyakonojo City (2nd term)
November 2020– present Mayor of Miyakonojo City (3rd term)

(Other Affiliated Positions)
Chairperson, Public Administration Committee, Japan Association of City Mayors
Chairperson, Miyazaki Prefecture Mayors’ Association
Council Member, Digital Society Planning Council (Digital Agency)
Vice Chairperson, My Key Platform Council
Chairperson, Miyazaki Prefecture Road Users Council
Chairperson, Miyazaki Prefecture Road Development Promotion Alliance

Kotaro Tanaka

Kotaro Tanaka

Vice President, Kyunan Service (Captain)

Profile

Kotaro Tanaka was born in Miyazaki Prefecture in 1983 and is the Vice President of Kyunan Service Co., Ltd. He also serves as the Representative Director of Jinen Co.Ltd.
Since 2004, he has been producing and selling unique food ingredients from Japan's Kyushu region, as well as healthy food ingredients sourced from various parts of the world. This endeavor is rooted in the notion of Japanese women aspiring to become mothers and his desire to spread the delight of consuming "happiness foods."
Kyunan Service has ten retail stores, supports omnichannel distribution, is a winner of the 2022 Japan EC "Products and Services Category Award," and has also won "Shop of the Year" eight times on Rakuten Ichiba.
Natural Cities continues to develop a wide range of products for diet, health and fine dining, expanding its exports to become more global.

Vijay Tewari

Vijay Tewari

Director, Product Management, Google Cloud

Profile

Vijay Tewari is the Product Leader for Google Cloud's Backup and DR and Storage for Google Distributed Cloud family of products. He has over 25 years of experience in Enterprise systems, of which 11 of them are in Cloud. He has worked at the Indian Armed Forces, Intel, Microsoft and now Google. With a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota, he is passionate about enabling customers to achieve their objectives.

Mickey Mikitani

Mickey Mikitani

Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group

Profile

Mickey (Hiroshi) Mikitani is the founder, chairman and CEO of Rakuten Group, Inc. Founded in Japan in 1997 with the mission to contribute to society by creating value through innovation and entrepreneurship, Rakuten has grown to become one of the world's leading internet services companies.

Rakuten has a dynamic ecosystem of more than 70 services, spanning e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications, bringing the joy of discovery to 1.7 billion members around the world.

Rakuten also became Japan’s newest mobile network operator in 2019.

In September 2017, Rakuten became the first-ever jersey partner of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. The following month, the company became the global marketing partner and exclusive distribution partner in Japan of the NBA.

Born in Kobe, Mikitani was educated at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, began his career in investment banking, and earned his MBA at Harvard Business School. In 2012, he was awarded the HBS Alumni Achievement Award, one of the school’s highest honors.

Mikitani is also a recipient of the Legion of Honour, awarded by the French government in recognition of contributions to the economy and culture of France. In 2011, he was appointed Chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, which has the longest history and tradition of any orchestra in Japan, and serves as Representative Director of the Japan Association of New Economy (JANE).

He also serves as Vice Chairman and Co-CEO of Rakuten Medical, Inc. (formerly Aspyrian Therapeutics, Inc.), a global biotechnology company developing precision, cell-targeting investigational therapies on its Alluminox™ platform.

Yasufumi Hirai

Yasufumi Hirai

Group Executive Vice President, CISO & Technology Community, Chief of Staff, Rakuten Group

Profile

Yasufumi Hirai joined Rakuten, Inc. (now Rakuten Group, Inc.) in February 2015. In his current role as CISO and head of the Technology Community, Hirai is responsible for IT infrastructure and information security governance across the group and oversees the evolution of Rakuten ecosystem services platforms. Hirai was also appointed Rakuten Group Chief of Staff in June 2023.

Hirai started his business career at IBM Japan Ltd. in 1983. Over his career, he has held several leadership roles in the technology industry, including Vice President of IBM, Senior Managing Executive Officer of Microsoft Japan and President and General Manager of Cisco Systems G.K.
He is currently Senior Advisor of the Japan Association of New Economy (JANE), Trustee of Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), Director of Japan Institute of Information Technology, and Director of Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Hirai is a graduate from the Faculty of Science at Kyushu University.

Miki Kimura

Miki Kimura

Senior Executive Officer, Vice President of Regional Economy Vitalizing Business, Vice President of Dream Business, Commerce & Marketing Company, Rakuten Group

Profile

After graduating from university, Miki Kimura worked at a publishing company before joining a newspaper company and a major portal site company. He joined Rakuten in 2006.
He was appointed Executive Officer in 2012 and Senior Executive Officer in 2022.
Currently, he is engaged in the Regional Economy Vitalizing Business. He works with local governments across Japan to increase the related population in each region by utilizing Rakuten Group’s data, assets and services.
He has also been engaged in the DREAM Business since its inception, overseeing Rakuten Keiba, Rakuten K Dreams, Rakuten toto and more.
In cooperation with national government agencies and local governments, he is committed to activities that vitalize regional communities.
He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Doshisha University.

Soichi Noguchi

Soichi Noguchi

Astronaut (Space Shuttle, Soyuz, SpaceX), CEO, Mirai Space Co., Ltd.

Profile

Dr. Soichi Noguchi graduated from the Graduate School of University of Tokyo in 1991.
His first spaceflight was STS-114 on the space shuttle Discovery in 2005. He conducted three spacewalks as a lead spacewalker, and became the first Japanese astronaut to perform EVAs on the International Space Station(ISS). In 2009, he became the first Japanese flight engineer for the Russian Soyuz spacecraft TMA-17. In 2020, he became the first non-American to board SpaceX spacecraft, on the first operational mission to ISS (Crew-1). He was the first astronaut in the world to accomplish three different methods of Earth entry (runway, ground, and ocean), and officially certified by Guinness World Records. Received YouTube Creator Award with live performance of Chopin from Space.
In 2022, he left JAXA and currently holds several prestigious positions, including President of Mirai Space Co., Ltd., Executive Chief Fellow of the Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies, and Project Professor at both the University of Tokyo and Nihon University. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, camping, and flying airplanes as hobbies.

-Research Activities
Spacecraft design, life-support systems, operational space medicine
Spacewalk suit design, spacesuit exoskeletons, spacewalk dynamics and human energetics
Qualitative Psychology, cognitive science
Tojisha Kenkyu(first-person cognitive and psychological study through interdisciplinary approach)
Safety engineering, Risk Management, Failure Science
Enhancement of human/machine performance in hazardous environments
Cockpit human factors, applied cognitive psychology, cockpit resource management
Optimized learning/training for aerospace operations, complex-simulation psychology
Physiological and perceptual/adaptive responses to microgravity; Neuro-vestibular adaptation to environmental changes Human eyeball dynamics
Fundamental and applied fluid physics, supersonic aerodynamics, shockwave, boundary layer transition

-Education
University of Tokyo: Ph.D. Advanced Engineering (2020)
University of Tokyo: M.S. Aeronautical Engineering (1991)
University of Tokyo: B.S. Aeronautical Engineering (1989)

-Special Honor
NASA Space Flight Medals (2005,2010,2022)
NASA Distinguished Public Service Medals(2005,2010,2022)
Medal of Friendship from the Russian Federation(2010)
Special Award from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2005)

Takeshi Okada

Takeshi Okada

Imabari.Yume sports Inc.

Profile

Takeshi Okada was born in 1956 and graduated from Osaka Prefectural Tennoji High School and Waseda University’s School of Political Science and Economics, where he was a member of the Association Football Club. After graduating from Waseda University, he joined Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. and was selected as a member of the Japanese national soccer team. After retiring from playing, he worked as a club team coach, and in 1997 he became the manager of the Japanese national team, which made its first-ever appearance in the World Cup finals. Following this, after managing the J-League clubs in Sapporo and Yokohama, he once again became the manager of the Japanese national team in 2007, leading the team to the final 16 round at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In November 2014, he became the owner of FC Imabari in the Shikoku League (currently in J3) after working as the manager for Hangzhou Greentown in the China Super League. He is passionate about Japanese soccer’s "development reform” and "regional revitalization."

Yusuke Narita

Yusuke Narita

Assistant Professor at Yale University, Founder of Hanjuku-kaso Inc.

Profile

Yusuke Narita is an economist, (social) entrepreneur, and public speaker/writer working across multiple countries and fields. He is an Assistant Professor at Yale University in the US and the founder of the startup Hanjuku-kaso Inc. in Japan. As a researcher, he develops methods that use algorithms, data, and evidence to improve social decision-making. He deploys his research output to solve real-world business and policy problems, especially education and health policy issues. He is also active in the media and is one of the most widely known academics in Japan. At the intersection of academia, industry, media, and policy, his work won several prizes, including The Prime Minister Prize, The World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders, the Japanese government’s Open Innovation Award, and MIT Technology Review’s Innovators under 35 Japan, among others. He obtained a Ph.D. from MIT and a bachelor from the University of Tokyo (with the best undergraduate thesis award given to an outstanding thesis once every few years). He was previously a Visiting Assistant Professor at Stanford University, Visiting Associate Professor at Hitotsubashi University, and currently holds research affiliate positions at MIT, University of Chicago, and University of Tokyo, among others.

Tsunehiro Uno

Tsunehiro Uno

Editor in Chief, Planets

Profile

Tsunehiro Uno, born in 1978, is a renowned social critic. He currently serves as the editor-in-chief of "PLANETS," a commentary magazine. Throughout his career, he has authored numerous publications, including "Slow Internet" (Gentosha Inc.); "Imagination in the Age of Zero" (Hayakawa Shobo); "The Age of Little People" (Gentosha Inc.); "Maternal Dystopia" (Shueisha Inc.); a dialogue with Shigeru Ishiba entitled "This is the Japan I Want to Create" (Ohta Publishing Company) and "I Want to Move Humanity Forward – teamLab and a World Without Boundaries" (co-authored with Toshiyuki Inoko, PLANETS). He is also a part-time lecturer in the College of Sociology at Rikkyo University.

Hirotada Ototake

Hirotada Ototake

Author

Profile

Hirotada Ototake was born in Tokyo in 1976. He graduated from Waseda University’s School of Political Science and Economics. While still a student, he published “No One’s Perfect” (Gotai Fumanzoku) in 1998, which became a bestseller and sold more than 6 million copies. After graduation, he first pursued a career as a sportswriter, before becoming an elementary school teacher and serving as a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education. Ototake participates in the management of “Machi-no-Hoikuen Community School,” a group of community-based childcare centers across Tokyo. Since 2018, he has been involved in a prosthetic leg project and completed a 117-meter walk at the Japan National Stadium. In 2022, he ran as an independent candidate in the House of Councillors election (Tokyo constituency).

Kaede Sari

Kaede Sari

Architectural Designer

Profile

Sari Kaede, who identifies as a sexual minority, gives lectures on LGBTQ issues in addition to providing branding services. After graduating from the Department of Architecture, she gained experience working for architecture firms in Japan and abroad. She is currently providing design and consulting services at Nikken Sekkei, one of Japan's top architectural design and supervision firms. In 2017, while studying at Keio University Graduate School, she changed her social gender, which has since brought attention to her diverse range of activities spanning architecture, branding and modeling. Her documentary film, "You Decide," follows her journey to compete in the Miss International Queen beauty pageant for transgender women. The film not only candidly depicts her student and family life but also made history as the first Japanese film to receive an official invitation to the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival 2020, where it won the Best Documentary Award. Furthermore, Sari was recognized for her achievements by being selected for Forbes JAPAN 30 UNDER 30 list in 2022.

Uchu Mukai

Uchu Mukai

Senior Vice President, Chief Environmental Impact Officer and Chief Standardization Officer, LIXIL Corporation

Profile

After graduating from the University of Tokyo in 1986, he joined Bridgestone Corporation. During his tenure at the company, he earned a Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). With extensive experience ranging from fundamental research in polymer materials to product development, he took on the role of Director of the Central Research Institute, leading global teams in the development of next-generation mobility-related technologies.

He joined LIXIL in 2019 and had has taken the position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Head of the Technology Research Function in 2020. He oversees the technology field, including research and development, quality, and intellectual property. From April 2023, he has taken on the role of Chief Environmental Impact Officer (CEIO) and Chief Standardization Officer, overseeing the Environmental, Safety, Quality, and Intellectual Property Department. Leveraging his engineering expertise, he aims to expand the impact of business activities and lead the environmental field across the entire company, contributing to solving environmental and social challenges on a global scale.

Hideaki Matsui

Hideaki Matsui

Executive Director, RE Guidance Team Manager, DIGITAL GRID Corporation

Profile

In 1996, I received a Master's degree in Physics and Applied Physics from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Waseda University. After working on system development as a system engineer at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation and Nomura Research Institute, I moved to Tohmatsu Environmental Research Institute in 2001 and started working in the field of environment-related consulting.

In 2007, I joined The Japan Research Institute, Ltd. I have promoted several projects related to renewable energy, distributed energy, and smart cities. In 2016, I began supporting a digital grid project led by Rikiya Abe, a professor at the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Engineering. In 2018, I joined DIGITAL GRID Corporation which was established to spread the digital grid technology.

At DIGITAL GRID, I have promoted the launch and sales expansion of various projects and services for the utilization of renewable energy power and value, and is currently engaged in public relations activities to promote the services to the world.

Kazuyoshi Hayase

Kazuyoshi Hayase

Deputy Director General, Group of Service for Ministries Administration, Digital Agency

Profile

March 1994: Graduated in Informatics and Mathematical Science from Kyoto University’s Faculty of Engineering
March 1996: Completed a Master’s degree in Information Science at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Science
April 1996: Joined Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Multimedia Network Institute
November 2000: Joined Rakuten, Inc.
September 2021: Joined the Digital Agency

Koji Hashimoto

Koji Hashimoto

Physicist, Professor, Department of Physics, Kyoto University

Profile

Koji Hashimoto was born in 1973 and raised in Osaka. He is a physicist and professor at Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Science, specializing in elementary particle theory (string theory). After obtaining his Ph.D. in science from Kyoto University, he worked at the University of California’s Santa Barbara Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, the University of Tokyo and RIKEN before becoming a professor at Osaka University in 2012.
Hashimoto assumed his current position at Kyoto University in 2021.
He is an area representative for "Creation of Academic Physics," a Transformative Research Areas (A) grant-in-aid program supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Hashimoto has also written numerous books and been invited to give international lectures; his books for general audiences include "The Physicist's Amazing Way of Thinking" (International Shinsho), "My Dad Taught Me the Formulas that Govern Everything in the Universe" and “My Dad Taught Me String Theory" (both published by Kodansha Scientific). He is currently exploring the fusion of physics, media and art through his involvement in various projects such as supervising the physics for the "Shin Ultraman" movie and collaborating with musicians and physical performers on joint works.

Kashiwa Sato

Kashiwa Sato

Creative Director, Samurai Inc.

Profile

Having established his own creative studio, SAMURAI in 2000, Kashiwa, one of the world's leading creative directors, delivers a fresh perspective of design to the world. From concept and communication strategy building to developing brand logos, Kashiwa's ability as a brand architect to identify, elucidate, and visualize the essence of the subject is highly acclaimed in a number of fields. Recently, he has extended his vision to include the design of space and major architecture projects. He had also held a solo exhibition, Kashiwa Sato Exhibition, at the National Art Center Tokyo in Spring 2021.

Selected representative works and clients: Created direction of global brand strategy for Rakuten and Uniqlo; Managed the creative direction and total production of well-known establishments including the Cup Noodle Museum and the award-winning Fuji Kindergarten; Involved in the spatial design process for buildings such as Nissin Kansai Factory and the Takeda Global Headquarters.
In November 2020, two of four designs approved by the Japan Patent Office were Kashiwa’s designs: Kura Sushi Asakusa ROX and Uniqlo Park Yokohama Bayside.
He was the cultural envoy of 2016 for the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan for his constant efforts to convey Japanese culture to the world through high quality design, contents, and products.
Winner of Tokyo ADC Grand Prix Award, ICONIC AWARDS 2021 BEST OF BEST, Red Dot Design Awards 2022 BEST OF THE BEST and many others; Adjunct professor at Kyoto University, Graduate School of Management, Special invited professor at Keio University（2012-2020）and visiting professor at Tama Art College; Author of Kashiwa Sato’s Ultimate Method for Reaching Essentials.

Naho Kono

Naho Kono

Group Executive Vice President, CMO, Rakuten Group

Profile

Naho Kono joined Rakuten (currently Rakuten Group) in 2003. She has served in key senior positions in marketing, UI/UX, business strategy and more for Rakuten Ichiba, the largest online shopping platform in Japan. Kono became the first female and youngest Managing Executive Officer in the history of Rakuten as of 2017. She currently serves as Managing Executive Officer and CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of the Rakuten Group and Rakuten Mobile, a new mobile carrier business that made its full-scale commercial launch in 2020.

The Rakuten Group has operations in 30 countries and regions around the world and provides a diverse portfolio of 70+ services, and Kono manages the marketing and brand strategies across the entire Group. She is focused on promoting customer acquisition and membership growth by utilizing the Rakuten Ecosystem, an interconnected network based on membership that leverages the Rakuten Points loyalty program and data to create a unique value proposition. Kono was selected by Campaign Asia-Pacific for Asia-Pacific Power List as one of the region’s 50 most influential marketers for the third consecutive year since 2020.

Masatada Kobayashi

Masatada Kobayashi

Group Managing Executive Officer, Chief Well-Being Officer, Rakuten Group

Profile

Masatada Kobayashi graduated from Keio University in 1994 as a member of the Shonan Fujisawa Campus’s inaugural class. In 1997, he took part in the founding of Rakuten as the director of the company’s online shopping mall, launching the company’s marketing department and international e-commerce business, as well as founding the Osaka branch sales headquarters. During these formative years, Kobayashi experienced a wide array of management approaches both within and outside of Japan as Rakuten's original team of six individuals expanded to over 30,000 employees. This growth transformed the company into a globally diverse organization, with a multinational workforce hailing from over 100 countries and regions, and establishing bases in 30 countries and regions worldwide.

In April 2012, Kobayashi relocated to the United States where he was appointed president of the company’s Americas headquarters. Subsequently, he was appointed president of the Singapore-based Asia headquarters in September 2014. Upon gaining global management experience, he left his position as head of Asian operations at the end of 2017 and now serves as the company’s Chief Well-Being Officer (CWO), a role aimed at spreading happiness within Rakuten.

Since 2001, Kobayashi has focused his energies on nurturing young people through initiatives such as establishing Keio University’s Seichu Scholarship. In 2011, he was elected as a member of the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders. He is the proud father of two sons and three daughters.

Ryo Matsumura

Ryo Matsumura

Group Managing Executive Officer, Commerce & Marketing Company, Senior Vice President, Rakuten Group

Profile

After graduating from university, Ryo Matsumura worked as an engineer and then as a manager in the Tokyo and London offices of an international strategic consulting firm. He joined Rakuten in 2013.
After working in the CEO Office and serving as Vice President of Rakuten USA, Matsumura was appointed to Director of Rakuten's E-Commerce Company in 2016. He was appointed to the position of Rakuten Group Senior Executive Officer in 2022, and to Rakuten Group Managing Executive Officer, Commerce & Marketing Company Senior Vice President in 2023.
He is currently in charge of Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Fashion and Rakuten Rakuma (flea market service), among other services.
Matsumura holds a B.A. from Keio University and an M.A. in Finance from the University of London.

Yoshiyuki Takano

Yoshiyuki Takano

Head of Travel & Mobility Business, Vice President, Commerce & Marketing Company, Senior Executive Officer, Rakuten Group

Profile

Yoshiyuki Takano has been serving as the Head of Travel & Mobility Business at Rakuten Group, Inc. since January 2017. He started his career at Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd. and joined Rakuten in 2002. He worked for Rakuten Ichiba e-commerce business and then moved to Rakuten Travel in 2004. He became Business Manager after serving as Manager of Advertisement Department, Manager of Marketing & Web Design Department and Vice Manager of Travel Business. His digital marketing expertise and management experience have been contributing to Rakuten Travel’s rapid business growth. Yoshiyuki earned a Master's degree from Waseda University.

Takashi Oyama

Takashi Oyama

Executive Vice President, Rakuten Card

Profile

After graduating from university in 1990, Oyama joined ORIX Credit Corporation. He was primarily involved in web marketing, including online advertising in the personal finance field. He later joined Aozora Card Co., Ltd. (now Rakuten Card Co., Ltd.) in 2004. He has since led marketing operations, promoting credit card membership enrollment and its usage. He has held the positions of Executive Vice President, Senior Executive Officer, and Managing Executive Officer. In his current role as Representative Director and Executive Vice President, he is responsible for the overall management of marketing and corporate sales, with the goal of making financial services more convenient and accessible for customers, as well as collaborating with and expanding Rakuten’s fintech business, with a focus on the credit card business.

Takao Shiono

Takao Shiono

Managing Executive Officer, General Manager, FinTech Strategy Division, Rakuten Card

Profile

Takao Shiono assumed the position of Managing Executive Officer and General Manager of Rakuten Card’s FinTech Strategy Division in 2018. In addition to his role in Rakuten Card, Shiono also serves as President of Rakuten FinTech Vietnam Co. Ltd., a post he has held since the company’s establishment in 2021.

Having joined Rakuten in 2004, Shiono has more than 15 years of product and organization management experience in the IT industry. He previously served as Director and General Manager of multiple departments in Rakuten across both FinTech and E-Commerce.

Yukimoto Naito

Yukimoto Naito

CIO/CISO, Executive Officer, Rakuten Insurance Holdings

Profile

In charge of CIO/CISO at Rakuten Insurance Holdings and Rakuten Life Insurance, leading the overall technology team for Rakuten insurance business.
I joined the Rakuten Group in 2020 after previously working as a partner in the service consulting division of a global IT company.
As an SME (Subject Matter Expert) in project management, I have extensive experience leading large-scale projects across various industries.
My strengths lie in possessing deep expertise in planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling complex projects. With my leadership skills and team-building abilities, I can integrate members with diverse backgrounds and effectively align them towards common goals.
My mission is to leverage technology to the fullest extent and drive the entire organization in supporting the success of Rakuten's insurance business. To achieve this, I constantly stay sensitive to industry trends and maintain a passion for pursuing technological advancements.

Ibrahim Gedeon

Ibrahim Gedeon

Chief Technology Officer, TELUS

Profile

Ibrahim Gedeon has built a career in telecommunications by combining insight and skill as an applied scientist with a collaborative approach to leadership. As Chief Technology Officer for TELUS, a leading telecommunications company in Canada, he is responsible for innovation, technology development and strategy. Under Ibrahim’s leadership, the TELUS broadband network has been independently awarded as one of the best in the world.

Ibrahim is a passionate collaborator with industry partners to advance social capital and purpose. He serves on the boards of the Digital Identification and Authentication Council of Canada, the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions and the Institute for Communication Technology Management. In addition to his industry leadership roles, Ibrahim is a Fellow of both the IEEE and the Canadian Academy of Engineering, recognition for significant contributions to the field of engineering. He has been awarded many accolades for his leadership and industry contributions, and is deeply passionate about promoting diversity & inclusion and early career growth, having developed TELUS’ Graduate Technology Leadership Program. He is also a frequent executive sponsor of Women in STEM events across the company, nationally, and on a global level.

Ibrahim holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the American University of Beirut, a Master’s in Electronics Engineering from Carleton University and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of British Columbia. He is passionate about supporting engaged, high-performing teams to innovate and move technology forward.

Taizo Sugimura

Taizo Sugimura

Former Member of Japan's House of Representatives

Profile

Taizo Sugimura was born on August 13, 1979 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. After leaving his studies at the University of Tsukuba in March 2004 he found work as a temporary worker and then moved on to work for a foreign securities company. In September 2005 he became the youngest-ever candidate to be elected in a general election for Japan's House of Representatives.
As a member of the Diet, he worked on the Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare and on the Committee on Audit and Oversight of Administration. Sugimura specialized in labor issues and was committed to improving the environment for youth employment, such as for individuals considered to be 'permanent part-timers' and for individuals who are not in education, employment or training.

Currently, Sugimura is active in the media, including television, radio and magazine. He travels across Japan, delivering lectures on politics and economics. His talks are based on his unique journey from going from a temporary worker to becoming a member of the Diet, and eventually gaining celebrity status after losing an election. Sugimura completed the prescribed credits for the Keio University Graduate School of Media Design doctoral course and is now conducting joint research with Otoineppu Village in Hokkaido on the ways to address and prevent population decline in depopulated areas.

Sugimura’s book, "The Earnings Revolution: Investing and Side Jobs - Learn the Basics of Money from Scratch", is published by Kadokawa.
He is not only a skilled tennis player, with numerous victories at the national level, but also a proud father of three children.

Hajime Tamaoki

Hajime Tamaoki

Executive Officer, Group CIO, Panasonic Holdings Corporation,
Representative Director, Panasonic Information Systems Co., Ltd.

Profile

April 2022 Executive Officer, Panasonic Holdings Corporation
Group Chief Information Officer (CIO)
May 2021 Executive Officer, Panasonic Corporation, Chief Information Officer
Representative Director, President of Panasonic Information Systems Co., Ltd.
January 2017 Corporate Officer, Chief Solutions Officer, AXA Life Insurance Japan
April 2014 Group Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.
March 2013 Director, Global IT Delivery, Global Business Services
Procter & Gamble (Singapore)
August 2010 Director, Human Resources Services & Solutions, Global Business Services
Procter & Gamble (USA)
July 2008 Director, East Asia Pacific CIO & Regional Head of Global Business Services
Procter & Gamble Japan
June 2006 Northeast Asia CIO
Procter & Gamble Japan
April 1993 Joined Procter & Gamble Far East Inc. (Procter & Gamble Japan)

Masafumi Kojima

Masafumi Kojima

Managing Director, Software & Platform Industry Lead, Accenture Japan

Profile

1999 Kyoto Univ., Fac. of Engineering
1999-2011 Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting
2007-2011 Technology, Media & Telecom Industry Lead
2011- Accenture
2011- Media & Entertainment Industry Lead
2017- Software & Platform Industry Lead
Osaka Prefecture, Super Advisor of Smart City Strategy
Integrated Resort Promotion Organization, Board of directors
Investor & Advisor, Start-up companies

Kentaro Oda

Kentaro Oda

CEO, iRidge, inc.

Profile

Kentaro Oda is the founder and CEO of iRidge, inc. Founded in 2008, iRidge is growing as a leading company in the OMO industry (Online marketing Merges with Offline marketing) in Japan. iRidge Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers in 2015.

iRidge has an industry-leading track record in the design, development, and growth of Mobile Apps in the OMO industry in Japan. The OMO Mobile Apps developed by iRidge have reached 87 million MAUs (Monthly Active Users). In addition, iRidge supports Digital Transformation in a wide range of areas such as fintech (mobile app payments and digital community currency), MaaS (Mobility as a Service), and Retail Digital Transformation.

From April 2023, iRidge has started providing the next-generation Mobile Apps business platform "APPBOX" to respond quickly to the rapid changes of the times. APPBOX is a Mobile Apps development platform that supports scratch development, adding functions to apps developed by other companies, and providing package Mobile Apps. APPBOX also provides one-stop support for post-development operation and growth.

Prior to founding iRidge, Oda worked as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, a management strategy consulting firm. He provided numerous consulting services for business strategy and Business development support, mainly in the mobile internet industry. He also worked at NTTDATA, a major system integrator in Japan.

Oda holds a BA in Economics from Keio University.

Ayako Kanouchi

Ayako Kanouchi

Freelance Announcer

Profile

Freelance Announcer, Member of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan Born in Yamagata Prefecture. Graduated from Yamagata Higashi High School and Chiba University. After working at Radio Tanpa (now Radio NIKKEI), she became independent. She is active as an economic newscaster with a soothing voice.
Currently, he provides morning investment information on Radio NIKKEI's "Ohayo Market."
Her hobby is bird watching in the forest.

Miyoko Nakashima

Miyoko Nakashima

Market Strategist, Vice President, Mizuho Securities, MFTA, MBA

Profile

Miyoko Nakashima has had an extensive career in the financial industry, serving as a branch manager, trainer, stock futures dealer and senior technical analyst and strategist at stock and commodity brokerage firms. Since joining Mizuho in 2016, she has presented over 100 technical and macro-economic seminars to potential customers throughout Japan and has generated over 100 market reports per year. She provides commentary regularly for Mizuho official YouTube, Nikkei CNBC, Tokyo MXTV, occasionally for Nikkei newspapers, and other media outlets.
She became the first woman to be awarded International Federation of Technical Analysts’ John Brooks Award in 2016. As an Nippon Technical Analysts Association of Japan (NTAA) member, Miyoko has played roles of Executive Officer for Technical Analysis Introductory Department and Coordinator. Her hobbies include golf, cooking, calligraphy and attending museum tours.

Tareq Amin

Tareq Amin

Group Executive Vice President, Rakuten Group, President and CEO, Rakuten Symphony, Co-CEO, Rakuten Mobile

Profile

Tareq Amin is a technologist, business leader and entrepreneur with nearly two decades of experience driving telecom innovation.

Amin joined Rakuten Group in 2018 as the first chief technology officer of Rakuten Mobile, leading the design and roll-out in Japan of the world’s first fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network.

Amin launched Rakuten Symphony, a Rakuten Group company, in 2021 with a vision to reimagine telecom for a hyperscale era, delivering the convergence of IT and telecom networks. As the CEO of Rakuten Symphony, Amin has taken his bold vision of mobile as a software. Believing that traditional tools used by industry incumbents are outdated and do not meet the demands of modern connectivity, and drawing on the proven technologies and operating principles of hyperscale leaders, Amin has overseen the creation of the industry’s first modern, industrial-scale automation platform built specifically for telecom.

In 2022, Amin was appointed as chief executive officer of Rakuten Mobile to ignite the next stage of growth in Japan and drive synergies between the global business and Rakuten Mobile.

Prior to joining Rakuten in 2018, Amin was a key contributor to the transformation of the mobile industry in India as Senior Vice President of Technology Development and Automation for Reliance Jio. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of Carrier Solutions for Huawei and as Senior Director of National Planning & Performance at T-Mobile.

Amin holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Physics from Portland State University in Oregon.

A leading voice for the future of telecom and champion for the democratization of the industry, Amin is dedicated to revolutionizing the way we communicate and collaborate in the digital age.

Akihito Kurozumi

Akihito Kurozumi

Group Senior Managing Executive Officer, CIO, Rakuten Group

Profile

Akihito Kurozumi is Group Senior Managing Executive Officer and CIO (Chief Information Officer) of Rakuten Group, Inc.

After graduating from Kansai University, Kurozumi started his business career at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) in 1997 where he spent 4 years. He joined Rakuten, Inc. (now Rakuten Group, Inc.) in 2002, primarily working in the Development Division. He was appointed as Executive Officer in 2008, and in 2013 moved to the USA to take on the role of Vice President of the Americas Development Unit at Rakuten USA, Inc.
After returning to Japan, Kurozumi was appointed Senior Executive Officer in 2019 and Group Senior Managing Executive Officer in 2022 (current position). Kurozumi has been leading the technology organization in the Commerce & Marketing Company for many years and in May 2023 he was also appointed as CIO of Rakuten Group where he is responsible for the technology that supports the Rakuten Ecosystem.

Kazuhiro Suzuki

Kazuhiro Suzuki

Group Senior Managing Executive Officer, Rakuten Group, Co-CEO, Rakuten Mobile, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Communications, President, Rakuten Energy

Profile

Kazuhiro Suzuki graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Keio University and joined IBM Japan, Ltd. in 1983. In April 2022, he was appointed as Senior Managing Executive Officer of Rakuten Group, and in June 2022, he was appointed as Chairman and CEO of Rakuten Communications, Inc. and President and Representative Director of Rakuten Energy, Inc. In April 2023, he was appointed Co-CEO and Representative Director of Rakuten Mobile, Inc. In addition to his business activities, he also serves as a secretary of the Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives) and vice-chairman of the Regional Co-Creation Committee.

Shunsuke Yazawa

Shunsuke Yazawa

Group Senior Managing Executive Officer, Rakuten Group, President, Rakuten Mobile

Profile

Shunsuke Yazawa is the Representative Director and President of Rakuten Mobile.
Yazawa originally joined Rakuten in June 2005, taking up leadership roles in Rakuten Ichiba from June 2012. He became an Executive Officer of Rakuten Group in November 2012 and then a Senior Executive Officer in May 2019. In November 2019, Yazawa joined Rakuten Mobile to oversee base station construction and the expansion of the Rakuten network area coverage, and delivered on the rollout at unprecedented speed. In October 2020, he was appointed Representative Director and Executive Vice President of Rakuten Mobile, responsible for network area expansion, customer support and store strategy. Yazawa was appointed to his current role on March 30, 2022.

Ting Cai

Ting Cai

Chief Data Officer, Group Senior Managing Executive Officer, Technology Services Division, Rakuten Group

Profile

Ting Cai is a senior technology executive passionate about creating products and technologies that users have come to love. He has built and grown several successful products across search, commerce and network communications. At Rakuten, Ting is the Chief Data Officer and Group Senior Managing Executive Officer of the Technology Services Division. He is responsible for Data and AI strategy, services, engineering and research.

Prior to Rakuten, Ting served as a Senior Director for Geo Search and Assistant at Google, responsible for billions of local queries on Google Search, Map and Assistant.

Before Google, Ting was the General Manager for Microsoft's News & Feeds team. His team created the newsfeed on Bing and Edge with machine learning technologies and editors worldwide. He led the Search and Speech team in the Search Technology Center Asia, where the team provided various critical services on news search, multimedia search, ranking, mobile apps, speech recognition and text-to-speech. Ting loves shopping and has taken up various leadership roles in Bing Cashback and Bing Shopping in the US and Europe.

Ting started his career as a software engineer in network communications, where he worked on kernel drivers in Windows and created network protocols at Microsoft and a startup, Terabeam Networks.

Ting graduated from Dartmouth College with a master's degree in computer science and holds an MBA from the University of Washington. He is a member of the Guarini Board of Advisors at Dartmouth College. He holds several patents on user understanding, content recommendation, network communication and secure hashing algorithms.

Sharad Sriwastawa

Sharad Sriwastawa

Group Managing Executive Officer, Rakuten Group, CTO, Rakuten Mobile

Profile

Sharad Sriwastawa, an industry luminary who epitomizes excellence in telecommunications innovation.
As the Group Managing Executive Officer of Rakuten Group, Inc. and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Rakuten Mobile, Inc., Mr. Sriwastawa is at the helm of defining the future of mobile networks.

Having joined Rakuten Mobile in September 2018, he took the role of CTO in March 2022. His stewardship is central to the development and operations of Rakuten Mobile’s avant-garde network that is End to End virtualized, cloud-native, and based on Open RAN architecture.
Prior to this, as the Head of Connectivity Platforms, he was the driving force behind constructing & industrializing the world’s first cloud-native Radio Access Network (RAN), highlighting his unwavering commitment to revolutionizing the telecommunications sector and Openness.

With a rich career spanning nearly three decades, Mr. Sriwastawa has been a transformative figure across continents. Before his tenure at Rakuten, he held eminent positions such as Vice President of Airspan Networks Holdings Inc., National Head of Reliance Planning and strategy and Regional head for T-mobile USA.

His career genesis at Siemens Public Communications Network Ltd in 1995 involved a remarkable contribution to building India’s first mobile network, showcasing his proclivity for innovation from the onset.

Hiroyuki Nagai

Hiroyuki Nagai

President, Rakuten Bank

Profile

Joined the Industrial Bank of Japan, Ltd.（currently Mizuho Bank）in 1987.
After joining Rakuten, Inc. in 2008, became Director and Managing Executive Officer of Rakuten Card, Inc. in 2011. Became Executive Vice President and Representative Director of Rakuten Bank in 2013, and Representative Director and President of Rakuten Bank in 2014.

Yuichi Ishizumi

Yuichi Ishizumi

Vice President, Marketing Platform Business, Commerce & Marketing Company, Executive Officer, Rakuten Group

Profile

Yuichi Ishizumi joined Rakuten, Inc. in 2000. He worked in various roles, including sales, advertising, UI/UX and business development at Rakuten Ichiba. In 2017, he was transferred to Rakuten Asia Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, where he was responsible for global advertising product strategy and product development.
In 2022, he was appointed Executive Officer of Rakuten Group, Inc., overseeing the marketing solutions business.

Masayuki Kubota

Masayuki Kubota

Chief Strategist and Head of Rakuten Securities Economic Research Institute

Profile

Graduated from Keio Univ. Economics Dept. in 1984. Kubota has 25 Years career as fund manager & analyst of domestic equities in Daiwa SB Investment Management, etc. He was in charge of more than Yen 200 Billion as fund manager and covered more than 100 companies as analyst during the career.
Since 2013 Kubota has been Chief Strategist of Rakuten Securities. From Monday to Thursday he writes investment strategy colum in Rakuten Securities Toshiru. His colum is very popular among individual investors getting monthly page view of over 1 million.
Every Monday he appears on Toshiru YouTube talking investment strategies based on his career as fund manager
Kubota is also engaged in the development of Japanese accounting standards as analyst. He is the technical committee member of Accounting Standard Board of Japan since 2007, and the Accounting Standard Committee member of the Securities Analyst Association of Japan since 2004.
From 2014 to 2020, Kubota was a member of Cabinet advisory committee recommending the “Advanced Womens Challenge Support Corporation” for Prime Minister Commendation.
Kubota wrote a lot of books including： “IFRS de Kigyo Gyoseki wa Kou Kawaru” (Nikkei BP), “Quiz Kaikei ga Wakaru 70 dai” (Chuo Keizai Sha), “Kabu Tore” (Diamond Sha), and “Kubochi Sensei no Yasashii Toshi Nyumon” (Syufuno Tomo Sha).

Ayako Kisa

Ayako Kisa

Rakuten Optimism 2023 Moderator, Freelance Announcer

Profile

Ayako Kisa was born in 1971 and raised in Tokyo, Japan.

She spent her elementary and junior high school years (from 2nd to 8th grade) in Los Angeles, USA. She later graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo.

In 1994, Kisa joined Fuji Television Network, where she hosted a variety of programs, including “Professional Baseball News,” “FNN Super News” and “Mezamashi TV.”

In 2000, she married professional baseball player Kazuhisa Ishii, who played for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. At the end of the following year, she gave birth to a son and left Fuji Television Network.

Kisa moved back to the U.S. in 2002 when her husband signed a major league baseball contract. After returning to Japan in 2006, she resumed her career as a freelance announcer.

Current Regular Programs
Host of “J-Arena,” a weekly all-English sports information program on NHK World-Japan
Host of “Oshiete Doctor, Kazokuno Kenko,” a weekly health infotainment program on BS TV Tokyo

Current Advertising Contracts
Artnature Inc.
water＊net corporation

Official Blog
“Kisa Ayako Nohohon Blog”
http://www.ayakokisa.com

Harry Sugiyama

Harry Sugiyama

Rakuten Optimism 2023 Moderator, Television Celebrity

Profile

Born in Tokyo, 1985. Moved to the UK aged 11 and having graduated from Winchester College, started a career in M&A. He went on to study at London University, as well as Beijing Normal University, and upon returning to Japan, started his career as a talent.
His father is the former Tokyo branch Head/Asia Bureau Chief of the New York Times.
Multi-lingual in Japanese, English, Chinese, and French. Presently active as a regular personality of TV programs such as CXTV “Non-Stop”, NHK “Domo NHK”, TX「TOKYO GOOD TREASURE MAP」, NHK BS1"Run-sma Club " and radio programs such as J-WAVE “POP OF THE WORLD” and J.League Official YouTube channel ”J.League Monthly”

Partha Seetala

Partha Seetala

President, Cloud Business Unit, Rakuten Symphony

Profile

Partha Seetala is the President of the Cloud Business Unit at Rakuten Symphony and formerly Founder and CEO at Robin.io. With more than 20 years of technology and product vision and expertise, he has taken multiple fully-featured products from concept to market. He has conceived, designed and built products in Scale-out distributed storage, File Systems, Networking, Distributed Systems, Big Data, and Information Analytics and Containers/Kubernetes space.

Previously he was a distinguished Engineer at Symantec’s information and storage management business, known as Veritas. In that capacity, he conceived, architected and led engineering teams to take multiple products from concept to market. He was also an adviser on multi-million-dollar product lines including NetBackup, Cluster File System, Veritas Cluster Server, and Information Fabric. He holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Oliver Tan

Oliver Tan

Co-founder and CEO, ViSenze

Profile

Oliver Tan is Co-Founder and CEO of Visenze Pte Ltd, an AI solutions leader recognized on CB Insight Retail Tech Top 100 list, Gartner's Hype Cycle - Retail Tech, and AWS Technology Partner of the Year 2020. Prior to Visenze, he led business development and partnerships in a cyber-security start-up for five years, and served in leading Asian enterprises in corporate development and digital transformation roles.
He has been a member of the Forbes Technology Council since 2017, and has authored over 40 commentaries on artificial intelligence, tech innovations and digital transformation. Oliver is a member of the Artificial Intelligence Technical Committee (AITC) in Singapore and also serves on the board of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.

Henry Chan

Henry Chan

CEO and Co-Founder, Shopback

Profile

Henry Chan is the CEO and Co-Founder of ShopBack.

In 2014, Henry and his co-founders launched ShopBack, leading the charge in transforming the shopping landscape in Asia-Pacific. Today, the ShopBack Group is Asia-Pacific’s leading shopping and rewards platform, serving 40 million shoppers across ten markets, and powering over US$4billion in annual sales for 15,000 online and in-store merchant partners. Today, ShopBackers are united by a singular vision - to be the World's most rewarding way to Shop.

Mykhailo Fedorov

Mykhailo Fedorov

Vice Prime Minister for Innovations, Development of Education, Science and Technologies – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine

Profile

Mykhailo Fedorov is the Vice Prime Minister for Innovations, Development of Education, Science, and Technologies – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. At age 28, he became the youngest minister in the history of Ukrainian politics.

Mykhailo Fedorov is an innovator and visionary. With the Ministry of Digital Transformation's team, the main goal is to make Ukraine the most convenient state in terms of receiving public services. In 2020, the Diia project was launched – a one-stop shop for public services & e-documents. As of now, 19 million users use Diia app. It’s every second Ukrainian. Now Diia is an ecosystem with wide range of products: Diia mobile app; Diia web portal; Diia.Education, Diia.Business, Diia.City, etc.

With the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Fedorov also has helped with launching a number of important projects, including the UNITED24 fundraising platform; Army of Drones; and the Brave1 defense tech cluster. Before working in government, Fedorov ran a business in the digital marketing sphere. In December 2019, he was appointed as Head of Digital for Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidential campaign.

Hideki Shingai

Hideki Shingai

CEO, Next Kraftwerke Toshiba Corporation

Profile

Hideki Shingai joined Toshiba in 1994. Since 2000, he has been involved in the Internet business, and he promoted the digital business at the Big Data Technology Center. In 2015, he was in charge of the Energy IoT Div. of Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation. In 2020, he established Next Craft Werke Toshiba Co., Ltd., a joint venture with a major European VPP (virtual power plant) operator, and assumed the position of CEO.

Ewa Szymanska

Ewa Szymanska

Executive Officer, Rakuten Group, Global Head of Rakuten Institute of Technology, Technology Services Division

Profile

Ewa Szymanska leads development of new technologies as the Global Head of Rakuten Institute of Technology (RIT) and Executive Officer at the Rakuten Group. She is responsible for bridging academic research with business applications to drive innovation at Rakuten and to deliver novel solutions utilizing latest findings in computer vision, natural language processing, automatic speech recognition, and advanced customer analytics across RIT offices in Tokyo, Singapore, Bengaluru, Paris, Boston and San Mateo.

Prior to her global role, Ewa established and led Rakuten Institute of Technology office in Singapore, focusing on machine translation and Asian language learning technologies. Ewa and her team received NIKKEI Deep Learning Award in 2019 for the development and scaling of deep learning technologies with global impact.

Before Rakuten, Ewa was a founding member of Singtel’s (Singapore Communications) data monetization group, leading research and product marketing for location-based services, including mobile advertising.

Prior to SingTel, Ewa was with General Mills’ Consumer Insights in Minneapolis, USA, bringing Voice of the Customer to cross-functional teams for strategic planning. Before that, she worked at the digital marketing consultancy Rosetta in New York (now part of Publicis).

Ewa received her Ph.D. in Psychology of Decision Making from the University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Fernando Paulo

Fernando Paulo

CTO, Rakuten Payment

Profile

Fernando is the CTO of Rakuten Payment and an Executive Officer of Rakuten Group. In his role, he supervises the technical implementation of Rakuten Payment's infrastructure and applications.

Fernando has been with Rakuten for over 10 years, where prior to his role in Payment, he was responsible for several global platforms in Rakuten, such as Identity, Payment Gateway and Point services.

He spends most of his professional time thinking about how to make distributed systems more scalable, reliable and easier to maintain.

Before joining Rakuten, Fernando worked at GREE International and Yahoo! in the US.

Fernando holds a BSc in Computing and Information Systems from the University of London and an MBA from MIT's Sloan School of Management.

Raj Chopra

Raj Chopra

SVP, Chief Product Officer, Cisco Security Business Group

Profile

Raj Chopra is SVP, Chief Product Officer for Cisco Security, the most comprehensive platform portfolio to secure all users, from any device to any network or application. In his role, he leads strategy, execution, and design for all Cisco Security products.

Raj is a seasoned executive with a proven record of delivering market-leading innovation in security with a strong focus on user-first experiences. He is a strong advocate of supporting diverse teams and equitable environments that bring out the best in everyone.

Prior to taking on this role, Raj led product, design, and strategy for Proofpoint’s flagship Email Security portfolio, helping grow that business nearly 3-fold in 4 years.

Before Proofpoint, Raj was part of the founding team of Netskope. He built both the product and new market category of CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker) and spurred its growth into SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) and SSE (Security Services Edge). During his career, he launched more than a dozen cybersecurity products, including several in the past 15 years that rose to $250M+ in product revenue.

Raj holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley and a BS in Computer Science from NIT (National Institutes of Technology) India and has a growing eagerness to go deeper into in his yoga practice.

Takeshi Yoshimura

Takeshi Yoshimura

Mayor of Bizen City

Profile

Academic History
1965- Graduated from Bizen High School, Okayama Prefecture
1969- Graduated from Kansai University, Faculty of Letters
Career History
July 1971- Joined Okayama Junior Chamber of Commerce
April 1981- President of Bizen City All-City PTA
April 2004 - Joined Okayama Association of Corporate Executives
January 2006- Chairman of Bizen Jidosha Bizen Driving School
November 2010 - Chairman, Bizen Chamber of Commerce and Industry
April 2011- Chairman, Bizen City Tourism Association
June 2011 - President of Bizen Rotary Club (1-year term)
Feb 2013- Resigned as Chairman of Bizen Chamber of Commerce and Industry
April 2013- Appointed Mayor of Bizen City (1st term)
April 2017- Resigned as Mayor of Bizen City
April 2021- Appointed Mayor of Bizen City (2nd term)

Jun Watanabe

Jun Watanabe

President and Representative Director, Sony Network Communications Inc., Representative Director and President, Sony Wireless Communications Inc.

Profile

Jun Watanabe joined So-net Entertainment Corporation (current Sony Network Communications Inc.) in 2011. He was promoted to Corporate Vice President in 2017, and became President and Representative Director in 2021. Jun utilizes his over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry to lead the telecommunications infrastructure business for Sony Group, including development of new businesses in related areas.
He also serves as a representative officer of various group companies around the globe including Sony Network Communications Europe B.V. and Sony Network Communications Singapore Pte. Ltd.
He spearheaded the launch of “NURO” in 2013, a pioneering high-speed optical internet service in Japan. As of April 2023, the service has reached its 10th anniversary with fast growing customer base of over 1.4 million subscribers (both residential and business customer segments).
Sony Network Communications Group offers a diverse range of communication services, encompassing MVNO, MVNE, and LPWA. In 2022, Sony Wireless Communications Inc. launched "NURO Wireless 5G", private 5G service in Japan specifically designed for multi-family homes.
Jun has also led the launch and expansion of solution services across a wide range of other areas such as AI and is actively engaged in emerging areas such as Web3.

Katsuya Kawai

Katsuya Kawai

CEO, MIC Co., Ltd.

Profile

Katsuya Kawai has served as CEO of MIC Co., Ltd. since 2014, accelerating its “Full-Service” business model in sales promotional services for retailers and manufacturers. With a vision of “Making better future with power of digital and physical”, he changed the company name from “Mizukami Printing” to MIC, which stands for Mirai (Future in Japanese) Innovation Company, committing further growth and transformation of its business.

After graduating from Waseda University in Tokyo, he embarked on his business career at Keyence in 2002. Later in 2007, he joined MIC Co., Ltd. and held various roles, including Director of Management Headquarters and Manager of Corporate Strategy Office. Before joining MIC Co., Ltd., he spent two years at the Commerce and Information Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

In 2017, he was awarded the Excellence Award for Management Innovation from Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

Saori Yoshida

Saori Yoshida

Women’s wrestling gold medalist

Profile

16 consecutive world championships, and former Japanese representative for women's wrestling

Saori Yoshida was born on October 5, 1982 in Mie Prefecture and began wrestling at the age of three at the Isshi Junior Wrestling Classroom, which was run by her father, Eikatsu, from their home. In 2002, she won her first world title, and by 2015 she had won 13 consecutive world titles. Yoshida also won three consecutive Olympic gold medals from Athens 2004 to London 2012. By 2012, with her victories at the Olympics and world championships, she had achieved 13 consecutive victories in global competitions and as a result of her accomplishments was awarded the People's Honor Award. In 2016, she won the silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. In total, Yoshida has won 16 consecutive world championships and 206 consecutive victories in individual competitions. In January 2019 she announced her retirement after 33 years of competition. Currently, in addition to being a wrestling coach, she is active in a variety of fields, including talk shows, public events and TV programs.

Main Achievements
2002, 2003, 2005 – 2015: Winner, World Championships
2004: Gold medal, women's ≤55 kg wrestling, Athens Olympics
2008: Gold medal, women's ≤55 kg wrestling, Beijing Olympics
2012: Gold medal, women's ≤55 kg wrestling, London Olympics
2016: Silver medal, women's ≤53 kg wrestling, Rio de Janeiro Olympics

Awards
2004, 2008, 2012: Medal with Purple Ribbon
2004: Mie Prefectural Honor Award
2008, 2012, 2016: Mie Prefectural Citizen's Special Honor Award
2012: People's Honor Award for first place victories in 13 consecutive championships (world championships and Olympics)
2019: Mie Prefectural Citizen's Special Achievements Honor Award
2019: Aichi Prefectural Citizen's Honor Award

Barbie

Barbie

Comedian

Profile

Barbie was born in Hokkaido in 1984, and in 2007 she formed the comedy duo "Falling in Love."
Focusing on variety TV shows, Barbie has worked as a commentator on shows covering a wide range of topics and also appears as a radio personality. In addition to her book "Where I Put My True Feelings" (Kodansha Ltd.), she published "Barbie-Style Happiness: I Am Myself", a collection of her popular articles and essays from the magazine PHP Special. She is active across a wide range of fields, from working on initiatives to revitalize local communities to producing a popular line of underwear with the fashion label Peach John.

Kosuke Nagata

Kosuke Nagata

Rakuten Beauty Department General Manager, Commerce & Marketing Company, Rakuten Group

Profile

B.A., Tokyo University; M.B.A., Harvard University . After graduating from university, Nagata worked for a Japanese manufacturer and a foreign consulting firm. He joined Rakuten, Inc. in 2012 (currently Rakuten Group, Inc.). After working in the President's Office, he became the General Manager of Rakuten Beauty Business Division in 2013.Currently, he is also in charge of Eats Business Department. He graduated from the University of Tokyo and completed an MBA at Harvard University.

Tsutomu Shomura

Tsutomu Shomura

Group CISO, Managing Executive Officer, Japan Post Holdings

Profile

2021-Present Group CISO and Managing Executive Officer of Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd. and Japan Post Co., Ltd.
2014-2021 Executive Officer of Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd., in charge of information security.
1980-2014 Hitachi Software Engineering Co., Ltd.(current Hitachi Solutions, Ltd.).Engaged in software engineering research.

Roy Chua

Roy Chua

Founder & Principal, AvidThink

Profile

Roy, an entrepreneurial executive with 20+ years of IT experience, is the founder of AvidThink, an independent analyst firm covering infrastructure technologies at both carriers and enterprises. AvidThink's clients include Fortune 500 technology firms, early-stage startups, and upstart unicorns. Roy has been quoted by and featured on major publications including WSJ, FierceTelecom/Wireless, The New Stack and Light Reading. Roy is a graduate of MIT Sloan (MBA) and UC Berkeley (BS, MS EECS).

Daimao Kosaka

Daimao Kosaka

Avex Management Corporation, Comedian, Producer

Profile

Debuted as a member of the comedy duo "Sokonuke AIR-LINE" in 1992.
Known as the producer of Pikotaro.
He serves as a CCC ambassador for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, as well as an innovation promotion ambassador for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Currently active in various fields, including appearances on variety shows and information programs as a commentator, and conducting talk sessions with world leaders in music, entertainment, and more.

Emiko Kosaki

Emiko Kosaki

Executive Officer, Marketing Strategy Division Manager, Rakuten Insurance Planning Executive Officer, Rakuten Group

Profile

Emiko Kosaki joined Rakuten Securities in 2006. She transferred to Rakuten Life Insurance in 2013, and currently is in charge of marketing strategy for Rakuten Insurance Group. In 2022, she was appointed Executive Officer of Rakuten Group, Inc.

She is super curious and excited with Ting’s AI & Data strategy.

Karina Maruyama

Karina Maruyama

Former Nadeshiko Japan Player, Japan Women's National Football Team

Profile

Karina Maruyama was born on March 26, 1983, in Ota Ward, Tokyo. She is a Japanese athlete and television personality. Throughout her career, she has represented Japan at major sporting events, including the 4th FIFA Women’s World Cup, Athens Olympics and Beijing Olympics. Notably, she was part of the 6th FIFA Women’s World Cup winning team and the runner-up team at the London Olympics. In 2005 she won the L-League (presently known as the Nadeshiko League) Rookie of the Year award, and in 2011 she received the People's Honor Award. Currently, she remains active in both variety shows and sports programs. She gave birth to her first child in February 2023.

James Dyett

James Dyett

Head of Strategic Accounts, OpenAI

Profile

James Dyett currently serves as Head of Strategic Accounts at OpenAI. Prior to joining OpenAI, he served in a number of sales leadership roles at Stripe overseeing the Americas Strategic Accounts, Global Product Sales, and Global Payments Specialists organizations.

Hideyuki Hirama

Hideyuki Hirama

COO, Rakuten Symphony Strategy Principal, CEO Strategy Office, Rakuten Group

Profile

Hideyuki Hirama serves as Strategy Principal of the CEO Office at Rakuten Group, Inc., where he is responsible for new business creation, business development and group-wide business planning for the entire Rakuten Group.

Hirama also serves as Chief Operating Officer of telco industry disruptor Rakuten Symphony, where he is responsible for the company’s global business strategy, finance, human resources and quality assurance.

Prior to joining Rakuten, Hirama was founder and CEO of a start-up, and served as board member in charge of strategy and corporate development of a listed company.
Hirama started his career with the Industrial Bank of Japan (currently Mizuho Financial Group).

Hirama earned his MBA at Harvard Business School and graduated from the University of Tokyo with a Bachelor of Laws degree.

Rabih Dabboussi

Rabih Dabboussi

Chief Business Officer, Rakuten Symphony

Profile

Rabih Dabboussi is Chief Business Officer of Rakuten Symphony, a new business organization within the Rakuten Group to spearhead the global adoption of cloud-native open RAN infrastructure and services. In this role, Dabboussi is responsible for bringing Rakuten Symphony’s telco solutions, including the Rakuten Communications Platform, to operators, governments and enterprises around the world.

Dabboussi is a seasoned and highly recognized industry expert who brings more than two decades of experience in the mobile industry to Rakuten, including a 20-year progressive career at Cisco Systems in diverse roles of R&D, technology consulting, business development, and sales leadership. After assignments advising mobile operators and large enterprise customers worldwide, he became the managing director for Cisco in the UAE in 2012 until he left Cisco in 2016.

After Cisco, Rabih spent four years helping to establish startups in the areas of secure mobile communications, cyber security, and the digital transformation of governments and enterprises.

Dabboussi is multilingual in English, French and Arabic and has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from North Carolina State University. Rabih holds multiple technology innovations and US issued patents in his name.

Coming soon...

Coming soon...

Profile

木佐 彩子

Ayako Kisa

Rakuten Optimism 2023 Moderator, Freelance Announcer

Profile

Ayako Kisa was born in 1971 and raised in Tokyo, Japan.

She spent her elementary and junior high school years (from 2nd to 8th grade) in Los Angeles, USA. She later graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo.

In 1994, Kisa joined Fuji Television Network, where she hosted a variety of programs, including “Professional Baseball News,” “FNN Super News” and “Mezamashi TV.”

In 2000, she married professional baseball player Kazuhisa Ishii, who played for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. At the end of the following year, she gave birth to a son and left Fuji Television Network.

Kisa moved back to the U.S. in 2002 when her husband signed a major league baseball contract. After returning to Japan in 2006, she resumed her career as a freelance announcer.

Current Regular Programs
Host of “J-Arena,” a weekly all-English sports information program on NHK World-Japan
Host of “Oshiete Doctor, Kazokuno Kenko,” a weekly health infotainment program on BS TV Tokyo

Current Advertising Contracts
Artnature Inc.
water＊net corporation

Official Blog
“Kisa Ayako Nohohon Blog”
http://www.ayakokisa.com

ハリー杉山

Harry Sugiyama

Rakuten Optimism 2023 Moderator, Television Celebrity

Profile

Born in Tokyo, 1985. Moved to the UK aged 11 and having graduated from Winchester College, started a career in M&A. He went on to study at London University, as well as Beijing Normal University, and upon returning to Japan, started his career as a talent.
His father is the former Tokyo branch Head/Asia Bureau Chief of the New York Times.
Multi-lingual in Japanese, English, Chinese, and French. Presently active as a regular personality of TV programs such as CXTV “Non-Stop”, NHK “Domo NHK”, TX「TOKYO GOOD TREASURE MAP」, NHK BS1"Run-sma Club " and radio programs such as J-WAVE “POP OF THE WORLD” and J.League Official YouTube channel ”J.League Monthly”