Greater Tokyo Area
I've been doing executive search in Japan's technology market since 2002. 2,000+ searches. More than 100 Country Manager placements. I've watched companies get Japan right and get it badly wrong, often with the same product, the same budget, and different leadership. The companies that succeed hire correctly before they hire quickly. Japan rewards preparation. The first hire shapes everything that follows, and the pattern of what makes that hire work is consistent enough, after this many searches, to be knowable before the search begins. I work with two audiences. Venture capital firms and their portfolio companies as they assess, plan, and execute Japan market entry, I travel regularly to meet with GPs, work alongside founding teams, and help companies build a Japan thesis grounded in what the talent market can actually support. And technology companies already operating in Japan on the hires that define the next phase of growth: executive upgrades, team builds, and the senior individual contributors who expand what's possible. SoftSource* was built as a boutique by design. Every search we accept, we work. If we engage, you work directly with me and the team I've built around 17 years in specifically this market. We operate on a thesis: structure before search. The role is defined by stage, not title. Before any brief is written, we pressure-test four areas: market stage, leadership environment, HQ alignment, and time horizon. The answers shape the profile. The profile defines the search. If you're building a Japan strategy and want to validate the role design before the search begins, I'm available for that conversation. → [email protected] → softsource.jp
I perform searches for technology companies that are either preparing to enter the Japan market, or are still in the early stages. I also advise leadership teams on hiring strategy, organizational design, and common challenges associated with building a business in Japan. I’ve completed more than 100 Country Manager and first-in-market hires for companies including: AI: o9 Solutions, Databricks, Datasnipper Data: Confluent, Elastic, Looker Cybersecurity: Tanium, Keeper, Coverity MarTech: Staffbase, Cheetah Digital, xAd DevOps: Github, Auth0, CircleCI SaaS: Relex, DeepL, Asana Infra: ArcServe, Appian, AppDynamics Other: Coinbase, Planet, Sonos If you’re building a business in Japan, or considering a leadership opportunity with one, feel free to get in touch. → softsource.jp
Access Technology was one of Japan’s largest IT recruitment firms. Managed team of recruiters servicing global software companies that contributed over 50% of firm’s annual revenue. Performed business development and leadership-level searches on retained and contingency bases. Completed searches include the following: - Oracle Japan: Sr. Vice President, Japan Country Manager of OIS - JDA Software: Japan President - Quest Software: Japan Country Manager - BEA Systems: Osaka Branch Manager
Performed direct sales of business applications (E-Business Suite), technology (database & middleware), business intelligence, and consulting services to global companies ($500m+ annual revenue) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Customers included major Japanese and Korean companies such as NEC, Toshiba and Samsung. Achieved quota in every year.