Atsushi Nakao

• Oversaw all activities of Chicago office including sales, airport operations, and cargo operations with 2 daily passenger flights and 1 daily cargo flight to/from Tokyo.
• Lead sales team to cultivate strong relationships with major Japanese customers based in mid-west region such as Komatsu, Honda, Nissan, Nippon Steel, Kikkoman, Ajinomoto, Suntory, etc.
• Managed the cost-benefit balance on various measures especially on working environment during Covid period
• Served as the Vice-Chair of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Chicago throughout the period and as the president in 2022.
• Served as the Executive Vice President of the Japan America Society of Chicago throughout the period

• Cultivated strong relationship with the International Air Transport Division of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)
• Actively lobbied MLIT and successfully secured the valuable traffic rights at Haneda airport including for the United States, Italy, Scandinavia (Sweden) and Turkey.
• Cultivated strong relationship with United Airlines and Lufthansa and served as Project Management Officer for the respective joint ventures, lead to a strong performance and the capacity growth

• Managed the organization to maintain the pilot manuals up-to-date and for the enhancement of safety and efficiency of the flight operations.
• Spearheaded the introduction of the Electronic Flight Bag. (iPads for pilots)
• Introduced enhanced publishing system to drastically improve efficiency.
• Arranged and got fully prepared for the mandatory safety audits conducted by Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and other audits several times a year.
• Managed HR for the optimal staffing including dispatching an engineer to Mitsubishi Aircraft Company. (Space Jet development)

• Conducted a research on Low Cost Carriers (LCC).
• Conducted a full feasibility study of establishing an LCC in Japan.
• Prepared the decision-making materials to the management on a project to establish then first LCC in Japan. (now known as Peach)
• Reached outside for acquiring LCC know-hows, such as LCC experts (consultants), IT vendors, brand creators and conducted competitive bids.
• Prepared and underwent due diligence from an accounting firm.

(Concurrent assignment with Network Planning)

• Advised network planners for revenue opportunities and enhanced efficiency as a market analyst on passenger market.
• Implemented innovative forecasting and optimization tools that would simulate route profitability.
• Represented the company in the Star Alliance network groups, coordinating member airlines on various airport capacity measures being implemented.
• Assumed Director of Network Planning and a key role in the introduction of joint ventures, leading the relevant departments in the company to the successful launch of joint ventures with United Airlines and Lufthansa.

• Completed courseworks on Transportation Engineering and related subjects such as Systems Engineering, Operations Research and Transportation Policies
• Completed a basic course in the MBA program to broaden the knowledge base
• Conducted research on Low Cost Carrier with a guide from one of the leading professors in aviation studies in the world
• Awarded a Certificate of Logistics

• Established and maintained the flight operations policies that would enhance safety and efficiency
• Prioritized and assigned the works within the organization for maintaining operations manuals
• Designed the entire structure and introduced "flexible takeoff weights" that would greatly reduce the landing fee

• Established and maintained strong relationships with stakeholders, such as engineering departments, suppliers, distributors, and sales agents.
• Monitored quality of the manufacturing and liaised technical issues between the headquarters and the manufacturer
• Negotiated the resolution with the manufacturer for the technical issues occurred during the production of airplanes
• Made various arrangement for ferrying the newly produced airplanes to Japan