•Hidehiko Sogano is Chief Sustainability Officer and Member of the Board of Directors, Managing Executive Officer in Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. He is currently responsible for the sustainability of the group companies and advises international regulatory matters as well as global risk analysis.
•Since he has joined Dai-ichi Life in 2015, he has overseen international life insurance business and experienced the Chair of Dai-ichi Life International (Europe) Ltd., CEO of Dai-Ichi Life Reinsurance Bermuda Ltd., and a member of the Board of Directors at Protective Life Corporation, Star Union Dai-ichi Life, Dai-ichi Life Insurance (Cambodia) PLC., DLI North America and DLI Asia- Pacific Pte. Ltd.
•He built-up his professional career at the Bank of Japan, where he served 32 years in positions such as Financial Markets Department and International Department and Branch Manager in Sapporo (Hokkaido) and Naha (Okinawa).
•During 2013-15 with the Bank of Japan, he was Specially Appointed Professor at Hokkaido University. In the global financial field, he was a member of the Committee on Global Financial System at Bank for International Settlements (2008-2012) and also Deputy Chair of the Committee on Financial Markets at the OECD (2010-12).

Education
•Hidehiko is a graduate of Keio University where he majored in Economics in 1983 and he got CEP degree at the Institut d’Etudes Politique de Paris (Science-Po) in France in 1989.

Dr. Laura Bonamici is the Global Head of Marketing at Fujitsu, where she leads a diverse, multi-cultural team across headquarters and regional markets. She is responsible for driving brand strategy, thought leadership, growth and demand generation, insights and analytics, and regional marketing.

Previously, Laura served as Head of Corporate Marketing, spearheading the transformation of the Fujitsu brand, including the launch of Fujitsu Uvance and the company’s first major brand refresh in over a decade—both of which earned multiple industry accolades. She was also the company’s first Vice President of Corporate Communications, leading global reputation management, media relations, and corporate affairs.

Before joining Fujitsu, Laura worked in public relations in Italy and Germany, supporting Silicon Valley start-ups entering the European market. She began her career at Goldman Sachs in London, an experience she describes as her “corporate gym,” where she developed the agility and resilience that have defined her leadership approach.

Laura holds a PhD in Drama and Theatre Studies from Royal Holloway, University of London, where her research explored the impact of digital technologies on storytelling. She earned her undergraduate degree in Modern Languages from the University of Florence.

Talks about: Women in Tech & Executive Roles, Brand Transformation, Purpose-Led Branding, Sustainability & Brand Cut-Through, Cross-Cultural Communication, and Transformational Leadership.

Kana Itabashi is a member of the Corporate/M&A practice group at the Firm’s Tokyo office and a member of Global International Commercial & Trade practice group. Kana has over twenty years of legal experience and has broad experience advising multinational companies in various industries on international trade and cross border commercial issues, including trade remedies, export control, sanctions, import/export regulatory issues, as well as highly regulated commercial agreements.

Prior to joining the firm, she worked as a junior accountant at a major auditing firm, where she mainly performed accounting audits for listed companies, etc. From 2007 to 2009, she was seconded to the principal investment department of a major Japanese securities company, where she was involved in private equity investments, emissions trading and various other investment projects.

James has over 20years of business strategy practice in Tokyo for both foreign and Japan-based multi-nationals, as well as for rapid growth scale-ups.

Fabric’s specialist work with many of the world’s biggest B2C companies across decarbonization, supply chain transformation, circular product and service design, brand innovation and employee engagement has provided an inside view on the opportunities and pathways to connect sustainable transformation to sustained business growth.

Raised in the UK, after completing a Physics Masters Degree from Oxford University he joined a London based multinational strategic services firm before transferring to Tokyo in 2002, established his first company in 2004, was acquired in 2013 and appointed APAC regional CEO in 2018, before starting Fabric in 2021. In 2022 James was awarded a Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to education.

Dr. Rodrigo González is a respected corporate advisor to some of Japan’s most prominent business leaders. He specialises in briefing corporate boards on economic and geopolitical conditions within the APAC region, offering invaluable insights into their potential impact across industries.

With over a decade of experience residing and working in Japan, Rodrigo collaborates closely with C-suite executives of multinational firms, facilitating their comprehension of intricate market dynamics and the implications of public and economic policy. Beyond the boardroom, Rodrigo is a seasoned presenter, recognised for delivering impactful speeches and insights at numerous corporate engagements and on televised platforms.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Keio University and is fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Japanese.