Company

Management:
Chief Executive Officer・・・・・・・Mr. Nobuhisa Kishi
Global Executive Advisor・・・・・・Dr. Peter Lorange
Senior Advisor・・・・・・・・・・Mr. Teruo Masaki
Partner・・・・・・・・・・・・・Mr. Shisuke Hashimoto
Executive Council・・・・・・・・・Dr. Omid Sena Vafa
Director・・・・・・・・・・・・・Mr. Frank Zeithammer

Nobu Kishi has provided management advisory services for more than 25 years to domestic and international global companies at Kishi & Associates K.K. contributing to increased revenues and profits for the companies. He has worked in venture business management, investment, and project management.

He studied Japan-US relations and US-Asia relations at Harvard University, and international relations, international economics, and Asian studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). After working in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs, he studied at the IMD Business School in Switzerland (Program for Executive Development).

In 2002, he founded Kishi & Associates, a management consulting firm, where he was responsible for advising Japanese and global companies on strategic planning, investment and M&A strategies, post-M&A activities, and marketing, business development, and communications for global companies such as including marketing communications–Nestlé, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Hitachi, Hitachi Group companies, Dentsu, Mitsubishi Corporation, P&G, McDonald’s Japan, Philip Morris, MetLife, LVMH, Hakutsuru Shuzo, Seven & i Holdings, Ajinomoto, Kewpie, Equinix, Open House, other overseas-oriented companies and foreign companies promoting business development in Japan. Since May 2003, he has been organizing “First Wednesday”, an exclusive membership club for executives of Japanese and foreign companies, which takes place a monthly discussion forum. The club is highly regarded for its quality and honest dialogue with executives from Japan’s largest and most innovative companies.

Through his long association with Mr. Helmut Maucher, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé He produced and translated the book “Management Brevier” in Japan. In addition, he wrote a series of articles for Marketing magazine on “Management of Companies in Global Markets” (December 2003 – May 2009). He was also an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Economics at Gakushuin University for five years, and a member of the Program Advisory Committee at BS-TBS (January 2011 to December 2016).

He had also given a lecture on Japan’s regional development at the first Taiwan-Japan Regional Development Forum in 2019, organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan (Chung Yeung Development Center). He has also been involved in advising the Center’s executive on local development in Taiwan.

From April 2022, Artisan Group will launch an integrated healthcare initiative under the vision of creating a community where the more you age, the happier you get. With leading seasoned artisans, the company is developing program for companies to achieve healthy longevity of mind and body (prevention of pre-symptomatic diseases, immunity, and frailty). Provided advisory services to SOMPO Holdings, which aims to develop a healthcare business based on digital data, and to the CP Group of Thailand, which aims to develop smart communities across Asia. He is also an executive advisor of Wall Street Journal International in June 2024 after having a position of media representative of New York Times in Japan.

For 15 years, from 1993 to 2008, Lorange served as the President of IMD, where he was also Professor of Strategy, held the Nestlé Chair for Strategy, and then held the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Chair for International Shipping.

In Japan, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), IMD Business School, and Harvard Business School collaborated to lead the World Management Forum.

He was the founder, sole owner, Chairman, and CEO of the Lorange Network, where he led digital business knowledge transfer for business owners, entrepreneurial families, and investors. He was formerly owner and President of the Lorange Institute of Business. Lorange has been the owner and Chairman of S. Ugelstad Invest, a large investment company and he has also been the owner of S. Ugelstad’s Rederi which was sold in 2006.

Professor Lorange was formerly President of BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo. Before this, he was affiliated with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for more than a decade in various assignments, including serving as head of the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies, and The William H. Wurster Center for International Management Studies. At Wharton, he was also the William H. Wurster Professor of Multinational Management. Lorange also taught for eight years at the Sloan School of Management (MIT). In addition to his academic work, Lorange has extensive experience in shipping, having served as a director on several boards (Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Kvaerner and Seaspan, ISS, Keystone Solutions, Globalpraxis, Copenhagen Business School, and many others).

Lorange is Norwegian and lives in Switzerland. He was educated at the Norwegian School of Economics, Yale University (MA in Operations Management), and Harvard Business School (DBA). In addition, he is the recipient of 6 honorary doctorates.

In addition he contributed with tremendous contribution based on his profound expertise regarding M&A strategies, pre/post mergers integration such as Hitachi Ltd in the field of information, telecommunication, automotive field at Kishi & Associates.

Since completing his graduate studies, Mr. Hashimoto has consistently specialized in M&A (mergers and acquisitions) advisory work. He spent six years at leading U.S. investment banks, including J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and Nikko Citigroup (now Citigroup Securities), where he focused on M&A advisory and corporate fundraising, including initial public offerings (IPOs). From 2005 to 2018, he worked at GCA Savvian, Japan’s first listed independent M&A advisory firm, where he concentrated on cross-border M&A, particularly in the United States, Europe, India, and China. During 2010-2011, he was stationed in San Francisco, supporting Japanese technology companies in expanding into the U.S. market.

Following his tenure at GCA Savvian, Mr. Hashimoto joined BDA Partners, an independent British investment bank specializing in cross-border M&A in Asia. In 2021, he founded the management consulting firm Interbridge, aiming to leverage his extensive experience in corporate collaboration, including M&A and international business expansion.

At Artisan, Mr. Hashimoto will drive the acceleration and strengthening of future business development. Additionally, he will contribute to M&A advisory services at Kishi & Associates, focusing on fostering inter-company collaboration both domestically and internationally.

Sena’s unique ability to leverage an extensive network and deep expertise in corporate management, cutting-edge technology, food and beverage, and the fashion and cosmetics sectors has established him as a leading figure in the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and North American markets. Sena possesses a robust skill set encompassing business development, public relations and marketing, product and service quality assurance, and comprehensive brand restructuring. He is particularly noted for his advanced negotiation and diplomatic skills, honed through several years of work with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and other governmental institutions. This experience has equipped him with a deep understanding of international policy and human rights issues, further enriching his capacity to engage with diverse global stakeholders. As a polyglot, Sena excels in navigating complex international landscapes, which, combined with his exceptional public relations capabilities, has facilitated the successful launch of national and international programs targeting B2B, B2G, and B2C markets. His strategic foresight and nuanced understanding of global business cultures have been critical in forming and nurturing high-impact international partnerships with some of the world’s most distinguished companies.

Sena’s influence and connections extend across a broad spectrum of senior-level professionals in Japan/APAC, Australia, the Middle East, and North America. His reach spans key sectors including Technology, Education, International Trading, Entertainment, Government, and the Beauty/Apparel industry. This expansive network not only underscores his versatility and reach but also highlights his capacity to bridge diverse markets and industries effectively.Sena has published several books and contributed articles in security and global affairs over the past two decades. His latest book, “Make Life Colorful”, features a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and is currently under review by Ms. Angelina Jolie. The book is available worldwide in English (ISBN: 978-0-6457764-0-9) and Farsi (ISBN: 978-0-6457764-1-6), with a Japanese edition forthcoming. His leadership style is characterized by a profound commitment to innovation, integrity, and inclusive growth, inspiring those around him to pursue excellence and contribute positively to the global community.

He has a variety of expertise in the field of branding such as brand analysis and brand strategy, strategy implementation, portfolio development, market cultivation, change management, internal and external communication, personnel management and development. Mr. Zeithammer worked for Dentsu both in Japan and Germany as well as several media publishing corporations in Germany.