On November 18th, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce is organising an event on DEI in management, together with the Danish Chamber of Commerce in Japan and Global Perspectives.

For many companies, increasing the number of women in management  roles is a high priority – but targets that are realistic in Europe can be very hard to reach in Japan. This event will bring together representatives from different industries to share their challenges and  successes, and brainstorm actions that can help everyone move forwards  in the journey towards gender equity.

The event will open with a panel discussion with representatives from 4 Scandinavian companies: IKEA, Ericsson, MAERSK and Novo Nordisk. 

The panellists will share challenges  and success stories regarding achieving diversity, equality and  inclusion in the workplace in Japan - especially on management level. Then all participants will break out for a workshop session to  identify specific issues that prevent progress, and work together to  share ideas and learnings, and brainstorm practical actions that can  help.   

The workshop will be facilitated by Tove Kinooka, Founder of Global Perspectives.  Key takeaways from the panel discussion and action ideas from the workshop to be collated in a short report that will be shared afterwards  with all participants and member organisations.

The event runs until 17:00 followed by an optional networking session with light refreshments until 18:30. 

LANGUAGE

Facilitated in English, but participants may conduct small group discussions in whatever language is comfortable for them. 

PANELISTS

Yuriko Iwasaki

Country Communication Manager, IKEA

Yuriko joined IKEA Japan in 2006 attracted by IKEA’s vision and values. She worked at food department at IKEA Tokyo-Bay during the opening period of fist store in Japan then moved to Property and Expansion department and worked for 7 years as Market researcher and Real Estate and Development Manager. In 2013, she became Local Marketing Manager in IKEA Kohoku and from 2016 took current position and became a member of country management team. She studied International Relations at University of Tsukuba and spent 1 year in Lidkoping, Sweden during high school as Rotary exchange student. Mother of 9 years daughter and 7 years son.

Aya Asama

People Business Partner, Ericsson  

Aya joined Ericsson Japan in 2022 and a People Business Partner in the Network division. She is a member of the DI project across Asia in Networks and  promoting it. She has over 10 years of HR experience in American and Japanese companies, including publishing and human resources, across a variety of industries. In her personal life, she quit her job once and went to art university in NY and learned about space design. Now, she has been volunteering to help her friends weddings and interior design. Lately she likes to create a cozy space for camping and reading a book near the river.

Siweon Carrie Park (Moderator)

Director of Customer Experience for Northeast Asia, MAERSK

Carrie became Head of Customer Experience for Northeast Asia Area in Maersk in Sep 2022. She joined Maersk in 2010 as a sales representative in Seoul and has held various positions in the company in locations such as Chengdu, Tokyo, and Shanghai. Her experience spans Customer Service, Sales, Global Service Center, Marketing, Trade and Network, with the latest position being in Copenhagen as a Network and Market manager. Carrie’s experience of working and living in different organizations and cultures has made her very conscious of the importance of DEI, and she has become an active promoter on the topic in Maersk.

Within Maersk, she is a member of Strategies for Success (designed for women who want to maximize their career potential) and Power Women Network (to make a real change on inclusive leadership and equitable career progression for women). Externally, she was a member of ‘Lean In Shanghai International (inclusive community to inspire and empower woman to achieve their ambitions) and WIS (Women in Shipping) Denmark during her time in China and Denmark. 

Satoru Harada

VP Head of People & Organization, Novo Nordisk

Before joining Novo Nordisk in 2020, Harada-san held several R&D roles and HR roles in pharmaceutical companies including Japanese, Swedish and German organisations.

He was born in Osaka, and now lives in Fujisawa city with wife, where he enjoys surfing and jogging at the weekends.

Tove Kinooka

Director & Co-founder, Global Perspectives

Tove is a bicultural (British/Danish) consultant who has worked in Japan since 1998. She co-founded Global Perspectives in 2015, and works across Asia with major global corporations, SMEs, NPOs, Embassies, Chambers of Commerce, and social venture organizations to amplify and accelerate actions for a more equitable and sustainable future. Her work focuses on transforming leaders and company culture to support social and environmental sustainability strategy and ambitions. She holds certifications in business sustainability management, team coaching, and organizational change consulting. Tove lives in Yokohama with her husband, two children and two cats, and enjoys hiking and Spartan Racing in her spare time.

This event is organised by SCCJ , DCCJ and Global Perspectives