The new normal of retail: Consumer trends in Japan

Antony Cundy completed his Post-Graduate Studies at Tokyo University before beginning his advertising career at Hakuhodo Lintas. He then spent six years at DDB first as general manager of the Japan office, before running the strategy and account services for major global brands across Europe, based in London.

Returning to Japan in 2010, Antony became head of planning and account services for Publicis’ main agency in Japan, Beacon Communications. Since joining McCann Worldgroup as Chief Client Officer in 2016, he has been responsible for overseeing excellence in the targeted and efficient delivery of campaigns for clients who work across multiple McCann Worldgroup group companies. As of 1 st October, 2019, he became Representative Director, President & CEO. He is a 23-year longtime resident of Japan.

Helene is a senior business leader with big passion for people, communication and sustainability. She has over 25 years of communication and retail experience with IKEA. After completing her university studies within the fields of journalism, marketing and business administration, she worked at IKEA Communications as senior Project Leader.
IKEA Communications develops and produces products such as the IKEA website, IKEA Catalogue, IKEA assembly instructions and global and local marketing campaigns.

In 2003 she became the Information Manager at IKEA of Sweden, the company which is responsible for developing all IKEA products and supplying them. At IKEA of Sweden she established the first intranet and led and developed global external and internal communication platforms to strengthen worldwide awareness of IKEA and IKEA products.

In 2007 she was appointed as Managing Director at IKEA Communications where she successfully positioned IKEA to tap emerging technologies and turned the organization into a competence hub of creative and project management talent.

In 2011 she returned to the retail arena and led the IKEA Shenzhen store to top performance also being part of the extensive IKEA China expansion.

In 2013 she moved to the US as IKEA US Vice President responsible for customer relations and several IKEA markets. During her years in the US she successfully developed and gained national attention for IKEA US diversity work focusing on increased parental leave benefits making IKEA US a front runner for equality.

Helene is since 2015 the President and CEO of IKEA Japan K.K. and since 2019 also the CSO of IKEA Japan. As she is an active opinion leader for sustainability and equality in Japan, she led IKEA Japan to achieve 50/50 gender equality for manager levels and received first prize at “Forbes Japan Women Award” in 2017. She also succeeded in installing solar panels on all 9 IKEA stores and Distribution center operated on 100% renewable electricity. This year, IKEA Japan received BREEM certification for the Distribution center which made IKEA Japan the very first company to receive it in Japan.

Helene also participates in various forums as the speaker both nationally and globally, such as Women’s Forum 2018 in Canada and Singapore and Japan’s very first Climate Reality Leadership Training which was founded by former president Al Gore in 2019. Board member of United Nations University Institute for Advanced Study of Sustainability since March 2020.

Thomas Doebeli is the General Manager at Chopard Japan. He came to Japan in 2002 with the chemical industry and moved to the luxury industry in 2005. After working mainly in jewelry and watch brand wholesale management positions (for example distributed Harry Winston, Roger Dubuis among others) Thomas joined Bulgari in 2009 as regional retail manager for Western Japan, which he did for exactly 5 years.

In 2014, Thomas joined Chopard Japan as Sales Director and was promoted to General Manager in 2015, working on repositioning the brand in Japan, restructuring the distribution and building retail. Chopard is one of only few independent and family owned (and even family managed) global jewelry&watch brands left, based in Geneva, Switzerland

Thomas graduated at University of Zurich with an MA in Japanese studies and economics. He has a passion for design and craftsmanship, as well as “treating people”, giving them an “experience”, and the luxury industry allows me to live all his passions. After 18 years, Japan is really his home both professionally as well as privately.

Takuji Okubo is the North Asia Director of The Economist Corporate Network, managing the Networks in Japan and in South Korea.

Prior to joining The Economist Group, Takuji was the Managing Director and Chief Economist at Japan Macro Advisors, serving global fortune 500 companies and financial institutions in Japan and abroad. In his past career, Takuji was a Chief Economist at Societe Generale, in charge of Japan and of South Korea, and a senior economist at Merrill Lynch and at Goldman Sachs. Outside his role at ECN, Takuji also serves as a non-executive director at Japan Risk Forum, an association of Chief Risk Officers among Japanese financial institutions.

Takuji holds B.A in Economics from Tokyo University and while at the university he was a recipient of prestigious INOUE scholarship. He holds MBA from INSEAD and Msc. In Economics from UPF in Barcelona. Apart from work, he enjoys motor-cycling, scuba-diving, cooking as well as worrying about the future of the Japanese economy.