Having served as a C-level executive in both the US and Japan, Ken’s professional journey reflects a dynamic blend of roles that showcase his ability to drive success in organizations. The industries he has worked in include steel, consumer products, retail, food ingredients, consulting, public transportation, higher education, and humanitarian NGO.

After finishing public high school in Tokyo, Ken moved to the US to earn his B.A. with honors and his M.B.A. from The University of Chicago. He holds the certification in Private Company Governance by the Private Directors Association.

Ken most recently was the Exec. Vice President and COO for Nagoya-based Narita Manufacturing’s operation in the US, and he turned it around to make it one of the most profitable divisions in the company. He began his business career at Inland Steel Company in 1987 where he was involved in establishing two joint ventures with Nippon Steel. In 1994 Ken joined the Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, MI. He spent most of his career at Kellogg on the management team of Kellogg Japan. In 2003 Ken was appointed as the CMO for the turnaround management team of McDonald’s Japan, the company’s second largest market after the US, with 400 billion yen in system-wide sales at the time. The company restored its profitability within a year, despite the supply chain and PR crises of mad cow disease and bird flu outbreak.

In the world of nonprofits, Ken served as a senior executive at Lions Clubs International, the world’s largest member-based humanitarian service organization. In the field of public service, he served as the Exec. Vice President and CMO for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the second largest public transit in the US. At the CTA he was responsible for $600 million system-generated revenue and oversaw transit planning, customer communications, real estate, advertising sales, and business development. The innovative fare payment system project he launched was introduced in 2013 as the Ventra card.

In addition, Ken has served as a C-level executive at National-Louis University, Lipman Hearne, Water Quality Association, and Edlong Dairy Technologies.

Ken has served on non-profit boards since 2007 when he was elected to Japan America Society of Chicago’s board. He currently serves on the Nominating Committee and is one of four Exec. Vice Presidents. Ken is the current chairperson of Hesston College’s board of directors. Founded in 1909, the College is affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA, and he has been on the board since 2014 and is currently serving his second term as the chair. From 2015 to 2016, Ken chaired the 12-person Presidential Search Committee. He was also on the board of Showa Boston Institute, an affiliate campus of Tokyo’s Showa Women’s University. He also served on the presidential search committee while on that board.

A frequent speaker on the topics of enterprise-wide customer experience improvement, innovation, global marketing, and global management, Ken has given presentations to a wide range of audiences and institutions including Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, Midwest US Japan Association, JETRO, the Japan Marketing Association, the Japan Productivity Center, the American Bar Association, and the US Department of Commerce.