Roundtable by The Japan Times #1 (Takashi Kudo)

Roundtable: Sustainability with Ross Rowbury #1

The English-language events will invite readers of The Japan Times to be guest speakers. Ross Rowbury (former representative of Edelman Japan), who has a deep knowledge of Japan and boasts a wide network both here and abroad, will sit down in the role of host with Japanese and non-Japanese to discuss their lives in Japan. Held once a month beginning Oct. 22, the format of the roundtable will include time for panel discussions with the participation of the audience.

For our first special guest speaker, Rowbury will invite Takashi Kudo from teamLab, an international art collective and interdisciplinary group whose collaborative practice seeks to navigate the confluence of art, science, technology and the natural world.

Takashi Kudo
Takashi Kudo joined teamLab in 2009 and currently is communications director.
Takashi graduated from Waseda University with a B.A. in literature and philosophy in 2001. He then was editor in chief for a video-game magazine at the publisher IDG Sweden in Stockholm for four years. Returning to Japan, he embarked on his career at teamLab as branding manager and communications director. Takashi now manages teamLab’s entire branding aspects while committing himself to specific projects that need growth hacking.

Ross Rowbury
Ross Rowbury has observed Japan while living and working here for four decades. Commencing his career in finance in Tokyo in the early 1980s, he later moved into public relations and communications, holding senior positions at Gavin Anderson & Co. (now Kreab) and PRAP Japan. Most recently, he headed the Edelman business in Japan for 10 years until July 2020. Ross is studying to become a kataribe (traditional storyteller) of Japanese legends while doing freelance consulting for a number of firms on their Japan business strategy. He is also visiting professor of Asian marketing at Doshisha University in Kyoto.