Takashi KAWAMOTO

• M&A Leadership & Integration : Temporarily appointed by the C-suite (former client) to lead a large-scale acquisition in the US. Responsible for overseeing Post-Merger Integration (PMI) and ensuring seamless integration of the acquired business, while continuing to serve as a local executive.
• Strategic Initiatives : Spearheaded the development of growth strategies, the Mid-Term Management Plan, and M&A strategies. Led comprehensive market landscape analyses, including trend forecasting and competitor evaluations, leveraging deep expertise from strategy and management consulting.
• Acquisition Target Development : Developed long- and short-lists of potential acquisition targets, performed detailed market-specific commercial analysis, and created initial valuation models, customized due diligence (DD) checklists, and negotiation strategies. Established these critical processes from scratch, as they were previously nonexistent within the company.
• Deal Negotiations & Network Expansion : Negotiated initial acquisition deals by leveraging insights from networks of investment banks, management consultants, and industry experts. Expanded and strengthened the firm's external advisor network, especially beyond Japan, to support global deal negotiations.
• Team Development & Capability Building : Led the development of a competent internal M&A deal team, providing training and guidance to cross-functional teams across multiple geographies. Focused on building expertise in cross-border negotiations with non-Japanese stakeholders. Directed headhunting efforts to ensure the team's success.
• Cross-Department Collaboration & Strategy Expansion : Drove the development of business strategies outside of M&A, focusing on sectors like Agriculture, Construction, Eearthmoving equipment, and Automotive. Initiated cross-functional collaboration with (otherwise siloed) departmental leaders to identify potential bolt-on acquisitions, breaking down cultural barriers and fostering synergies across teams.
• Comprehensive Communications Strategy : Oversaw the development and execution of the communications strategy, including PR, advertising, employee engagement, and public affairs. Appointed for the additional role by the CEO directly, based on my extensive experience in global corporate communications and crisis management at Brunswick Group.
• PR Strategy & Organizational Transformation : Led the creation of a PR strategy, executive communications plan, and media engagement initiatives. Directed structural reforms within the communications team, optimizing workstreams for operational efficiency. Established KPIs and managed a budget exceeding $1M to enhance communications effectiveness and drive organizational performance.

Leadership and Communications Strategy

• Led a cross-border team of 10-20 members, advising C-suite executives of prominent Japanese and global companies on high-stakes issues, including crisis management, cultural reforms, cyber data breaches, hostile takeovers, litigation, and public affairs.
• Managed the firm's Global Japan Practice in the U.S., spanning key cities such as New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Developed and executed business strategies, marketing initiatives, and recruitment efforts, driving $15M+ in revenue growth.
• Founding member of the Tokyo office, where he led overall strategy development, marketing initiatives, operational setup, and continuous improvement. With an initial team of just two members, successfully secured $10M worth of projects within the first two years.

Client and Project Management

• Oversaw senior client relationships and managed complex, fast-paced projects requiring cross-cultural coordination and expectation management.
• Cultivated strategic relationships with leading partners, including top law firms, investment banks, industry associations, government entities, and top-tier media outlets. Launched high-profile thought leadership initiatives, securing significant media coverage and strengthening the firm's market presence.

Performance and Recognition

• Earned “Outstanding” ratings in the firm's annual 360-degree performance reviews for client handling, marketing, and business development. This recognition led to an EB-1C permanent residency in the U.S., fully sponsored by the firm.

JPO Assignment in Europe

• Selected as a national candidate for a future leadership position at the United Nations, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (JPO).
• Managed cross-functional initiatives spanning climate change adaptation, sustainable finance, urban resilience, and open data innovation within the scope of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
• Positioned in the heart of the European Union, navigated key EU rule-making stakeholders to align social impact agendas from various UN agencies with EU legislative processes, ensuring their integration into national laws.

Strategy Development and Data Analysis

• Transformed UNDRR's strategic priorities into actionable engagement plans, collaborating with diverse stakeholders such as the European Commission, European Parliament, NGOs, embassies, business associations, lobby groups, and private sector partners.
• Worked with EU member states and national government agencies to gather critical data on disaster risk reduction, including infrastructure readiness, public investment, climate-related events, and casualty statistics, enabling comprehensive analysis of the DRR landscape in Europe.
• Reassessed UNDRR's market position, refining its competitive value propositions to better target specific audiences and enhance overall impact.

Strategy execution

• Identified new strategic opportunities for urban resilience through the UN Making Cities Resilience Campaign and drove private sector collaboration, culminating in the establishment of ARISE Europe, facilitating the development and execution of DRR initiatives across Europe and Central Asia.

Developed regional strategy; digested large amounts of in-house information on past programs, key stakeholders, and ongoing structural reforms of the organization.

Strategic Initiative Lead

• Led high-profile strategic initiatives to create new consulting practices, including rule-making strategy, economic security advisory, and social impact advisory. These involved extensive analysis of global societal challenges and identifying business-driven solutions to address them. Utilized a broad network of senior stakeholders across sectors to forge strategic partnerships and drive initiatives forward.
• Pioneered innovative consulting practices by analyzing global challenges and identifying opportunities for businesses to provide foundational solutions. This entrepreneurial approach involved bridging internal departments and external stakeholders, including governments, industry associations, think tanks, academia, and media.
• Awarded Deloitte Best Consultant of 2015 out of 2,000 employees for exceptional leadership, cross-sector collaboration, and driving new strategic initiatives.

Project Manager for Diverse Projects

• Led and contributed to a diverse range of management consulting projects, including business strategy development for a major Japanese enterprise, supply chain optimization for a Japanese aerospace and defense manufacturer, and market research on Southeast Asian export control regulations for the Japanese government.
• As Project Manager, oversaw multiple workstreams, developed hypotheses, designed research plans, and communicated effectively with executives and clients to align expectations with deliverable quality. Actively intervened to conduct research, analyze data, and produce high-quality presentations as needed.

• Analyzed the U.S. defense policy focusing on the U.S. force posture in the Asia-Pacific.
• Drafted diplomatic cables on various topics, including military-related intelligence and public diplomacy.
• Cultivated the relationships with primary local think tanks through frequent policy discussions.

• Drafted and reviewed various diplomatic and legislative documents by coordinating across ministries.
• Supported high-level visits of Head of nation states on logistic coordination, document preparation, media engagement, etc.