Leadership Speakers in Japan

Svetlana Suvorova, a Certified EQ Coach, merges her corporate leadership experience with a passion for emotional intelligence, empowering leaders to leverage their emotions for success. Living in five countries has ignited her love for people and languages. Fluent in the language of emotions, she provides fresh insights into understanding and channeling them effectively. She's leading the charge to redefine emotions in the workplace, offering bespoke coaching, in-depth training, and impactful keynotes. Stay in tune with her vision through her weekly newsletter, "The EQ Edge.”

Yayoi, a leadership coach and management consultant, assists leaders and their organizations. With 2500+ coaching hours and 400+ executives from diverse industries, she improves communication, team-building, influence, delegation, diversity management, collaboration, culture change, and more. Yayoi fosters self-awareness, pushes clients beyond their comfort zones, and empowers them to influence stakeholders. She strongly supports female leaders.

Before her current role, Yayoi served as an educational consultant and held managerial roles at companies like Honda Motor and SEGA. Having spent 16 years in the United States, including Kellogg School of Management, Yayoi offers insights into cross-cultural issues, diversity, adaptation, and social norms in the U.S. and Japan.

Paul Dupuis is the founder and CEO of Take-5 Global K.K., a consultancy firm that specializes in business advisory, leadership development, and M&A in Japan and India. With over 25 years of experience across Asia, Paul has facilitated the growth and transformation of leaders and organizations. Previously, he served as CEO and Chairman of Randstad Japan, where he led 100 branches and 35,000 employees to achieve record profitability and exceptional revenue growth. In Randstad India, Paul spearheaded a turnaround that established the company as a market leader. For his efforts, he was recognized by the Great Place to Work Institute as one of India’s Best Leaders in Times of Crisis in 2021. Paul is an accomplished author of The E5 Movement is a call to action to all leaders, globally, to lead with impact. The five Es are: envision; express; excite; enable; execute. 

Manoj Kohli, the Former Country Head at SoftBank India, is a dynamic leader with a stellar track record of driving success across diverse sectors. Instrumental in supporting SoftBank Group, SoftBank Vision Fund, and over 20 portfolio companies, including OLA, OYO, and Paytm, his exceptional leadership and customer-centric approach have been pivotal in fostering growth. Previously, as the CEO and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, Manoj transformed the company from serving 2 million to over 400 million customers, showcasing an unwavering commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. His visionary leadership scaled Bharti Airtel's India operations by 100x before undertaking international responsibilities for 20 countries. Passionate about industry transformations, Manoj extends his expertise to guide entrepreneurs and CEOs, addressing growth challenges and executing profitable strategies, establishing him as a transformative force in the business landscape.

CJ Marks is a globally renowned keynote speaker, captivating diverse audiences worldwide, both virtually and in person. As a seasoned presentation coach, CJ has empowered C-suite executives, company presidents, managers, and government officials to elevate their communication prowess. Notably, CJ's expertise extends to training entire TEDx teams, collaborating with organizers and speakers across six continents. An award-winning speaker and Toastmaster, CJ is also a proficient PechaKucha Night organizer and a professionally trained Data Storyteller. With over twenty-five years in education spanning California and Japan, CJ currently holds an esteemed instructor position at a prestigious private university in Kobe, Japan.

Shoukei Matsumoto is a Japanese Buddhist monk renowned for his efforts to modernize and share Buddhist practices with a global audience. He gained international recognition through his book “A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind” which combines traditional Buddhist wisdom with practical advice on cleaning and mindfulness. Matsumoto advocates for the integration of Buddhist principles into everyday life, emphasizing simplicity, clarity, and mindfulness. He has held lectures and workshops internationally, and has been featured on publications including the Japan Times, the Guardian and the Forbes Japan, which highlights Matsumoto as one of the “100 Hopes to Save the World” on its June 2023 issue. Matsumoto also is a Visiting Professor at Musashino University in Japan; CEO and Co-Founder of Interbeing; Founder of Institute Temple Management; Member of Young Global Leaders from World Economic Forum; and Member of Co-Creation Advisory Board for the Development Bank of Japan.

Mete is a multi-disciplinary, trilingual executive coach with expertise in IT, Digital Transformation, and Coaching, deeply immersed in the Japanese business landscape since 1995. As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF), he mentors aspiring coaches seeking accreditation renewal or upgrade. With 22 years of experience in foreign-affiliated companies in Japan, Mete has coached leaders from Fortune Top 500 and top Japanese companies since 2015 in Japanese, English, and Turkish. In early 2024, he became a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). Beyond coaching, Mete has conducted over 300 training sessions on leadership development, coaching, and mental health. As an adjunct faculty member, he teaches at Temple University Japan's Continuing Education Program and Rikkyo University.

Hiroshi Yamada has a 32-year career in the fields of global telecom, virtualization, and cloud computing, having worked at the GM level in sales, business development, and team management. Simultaneously, he has conducted research on animal and human behavior and psychology. Since 1996, Hiroshi has been a professional coach for executives and middle managers, using DiSC assessments to evaluate human motivation and behavioral traits, providing coaching on vision building, strategic planning, and execution. Additionally, he offers support in HR aspects such as team management, recruitment, and onboarding. He also addresses executive challenges, including decision-making, business succession, and organizational management. In volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) business environments and personal lives, Hiroshi helps ensure psychological safety, predict and overcome unpredictable futures, and supports the decision-making and execution processes.