Advisors

Michael Barrett is currently a Chief Executive of The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation. After graduating from Durham University (Classical & General Literature), he joined the British Council and promoted education and cultural exchange as well as human resources aspect of business in Europe, Africa, and USA. Since his first visit to Japan in 1970, he has been in close contact with Japan and has resided in Japan for multiple years on business assignments. In 1989, he was recruited by GKR, the largest British executive search firm and became Managing Director of its Japan subsidiary. He returned to the British Council in 1993 and assumed responsibility as Director of Japan until 1999. In 1987, he was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services rendered to Anglo-American relations. Mr. Barrett is fluent in French and Japanese.

Grant Finlayson is a founder of Pacific Ventures LLC, a consulting/investment firm which focuses on projects between US and Japan. Prior to founding the firm in 2002, he was the Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in San Francisco and the Partner at Shearman & Sterling in New York and Tokyo. He received B.A. and M.A. in Asian Studies from Stanford University and J.D. from Harvard Law School. Mr. Finlayson was admitted to the bar in New York and California and is fluent in Japanese.

Since 1989, Johny Johansson has been McCrane/Shaker Professor of International Business and Marketing at Georgetown University. He was the first Isetan Distinguished Visiting Professor at Keio Business School. He earned Ph.D. in Business Administration and MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, and his undergraduate degree from the Stockholm School of Economics.