Greater Osaka Area
Operational and procurement leader with 20 years of experience across manufacturing, supply chain, and capital project delivery in global industrial and pharmaceutical organizations. Currently Director, Operations Excellence Lead at Eli Lilly, where I lead cross-functional transformation and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance quality, productivity, operational efficiency, and cost performance across complex manufacturing operations. Proven track record in delivering large-scale capital projects, optimizing value streams, developing high-performing teams, and implementing sustainable process improvements that support business growth and operational excellence. A naturalized Japanese citizen with JLPT N1 certification and over 15 years of living and working in Japan. Experienced in continuous improvement, structured problem solving, and cross-site collaboration, delivering measurable impact through process optimization, supplier development, and data-driven decision-making. Proven ability to influence stakeholders across engineering, manufacturing, and quality, while coaching teams and strengthening operational excellence. Recognized for leading strategic initiatives that balance performance, cost, and compliance, including delivering 20% savings while maintaining project schedules and supporting global manufacturing objectives. Combines an engineering background with strong business acumen to turn operational strategy into practical improvements that enhance productivity, quality, and organizational capability. Bring a strong understanding of Japanese corporate culture and decision-making, combined with extensive experience working with global headquarters, overseas manufacturing sites, and senior executives. Routinely works in Japanese for supplier negotiations, contracting, and leadership communications, enabling alignment between local execution and global strategy. Experienced in Lean and Kaizen initiatives that drive sustainable improvement. Core Strengths Operational excellence | Team Leadership & Capability Building | Process Standardization & Productivity Improvement | Strategic Sourcing & Category Management | Senior Stakeholder & Executive Advisory | Country & Regional Procurement Leadership | Third-Party Risk, Governance & Compliance | Procure-to-Pay & Source-to-Contract Operations | Cost Optimization & Value Realization | Supplier Relationship Management | Greater China Sourcing & Mandarin Communication
. Lead capital expenditure and indirect procurement for large-scale manufacturing and engineering projects in a GMP-regulated environment, spend amount $1.5 billion (1500 Oku Yen) . . Delivered cost savings while maintaining project schedules across RFP, contracting, and PO execution . Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and Global Procurement to align local execution with global strategy . Reduced contracting timelines by over 25%, ensuring legal work supports project timeline. . Developed and implemented a comprehensive procurement strategy, setting clear commercial targets and governance structures. . Drive supplier performance, risk mitigation, and contract governance across complex project portfolios. . Negotiate with major CSA and pharmaceutical equipment vendors to optimize cost, timeline, and quality. . Develop and coach a growing procurement team, establishing clear standards, prioritization, and stakeholder engagement models . Contribute to operational excellence initiatives through structured problem solving, standard work, and continuous improvement Key Outcomes: . Achieved double-digit cost savings without schedule impact . Strengthened supplier governance and compliance across capex categories . Built capability in junior procurement staff with no prior procurement background
. Successfully implemented supplier consolidation and reduced supplier base by 25%, improving operational efficiency and ensuring high-quality service delivery. . Negotiated with top spend suppliers to increase payment terms by 30 days to improve cashflow. . Leveraged supplier relationships to setup blanket discounts of up to 5% with top spend suppliers, for all purchase orders, resulted in a cost savings of 1.5 Oku Yen per year. . Led procurement for Indirect Commercial Categories including Advertising, Branding(Marketing) ,Medical Communications, Professional Services and Facility Management Associate Project Manager (Information Digital Solutions IT) Nov2022 - Feb2024 . Led IT strategic sourcing and supplier consolidation, optimizing vendor relationships and reducing costs. . Managed two large-scale digital transformation projects, including the implementation of a new events management system for 3,000+ users. . Established and executed project governance models, ensuring alignment with senior leadership and compliance standards. . Transitioned projects smoothly into Business As Usual (BAU) phase, implementing effective knowledge transfer and supplier management processes.
. Set-up a 2nd warehouse in Kansai region with 3PL for regional risk mitigation. . Setup complete sourcing strategy for Bayer's Shiga plant GMP Upgrade project, budget: 5mln USD, which also included procurement for construction of new production building and production equipment. . Delivered 13% savings w.r.t. global targets of 3%. . Led cross functional packaging optimization project to reduce packaging, logistics and warehousing costs by 8%. . Led procurement for construction, engineering services, production and packaging equipment, MRO and facility management. . Delivered Eylea pre-filled syringe project(budget 20mln USD), on time and within budget. Setup the project from procurement strategy phase.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives, structured problem solving, and cross-site collaboration, delivering measurable business impact through process optimization, supplier development, and data-driven decision making. Employed lean on 40 plus projects and delivered quality variation reduction, cost reduction, efficiency and improved delivery times. . Managed procurement of 13,400+ parts (¥15.5B/year) for tractors and construction equipment from Japan, India, China, and Thailand. . Delivered 15% cost savings over 2 years via supplier development, packaging standardization, and global sourcing. . Reduced packaging-related defects and transit damage by redesigning international packaging solutions. . Conducted supplier audits and improvement activities, particularly for logistics and dimensional defect issues.