Giuseppe Kobayashi
Silicon Valley and Tokyo
Over 30+ years, I have had the opportunity to establish Japanese operations as the founding executive leadership for companies such as Teradata, BroadVision, Wind River Systems, ArcSight, Cloudera and many others. 16 of them as of today.
What I do is a lot like what US Marines do, rather than US Navy.
There is a mystique about how to do business in Japan. 99% of the business is actually the same. It's that 1% difference that cannot be understood unless you are a Japanese (Well, I am, although I may not look so). That's what I bring to the talble. Recognizing that there is a difference is what I ask for. I am the one to manage that difference.
In reverse, Japanese customers need someone to translate the business value offered. In the beginning, it is much like a missionary work to spread the religion. You are not only selling a product but educating the market to build confidence that it's the right thing to do. This takes a lot of energy and convincing.
Lastly, I am not an consultant or a broker. I am a business executive who will take on the actual operational leadership with accountability.