Roundtable by The Japan Times #4 (Jin Montesano)

Roundtable: Sustainability with Ross Rowbury #4

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, the format of the roundtable will include time for panel discussions with the participation of the audience.

For our special speaker, Rowbury will invite Minako Iue from Sailor of the Sea Japan, which supports ocean conservation through raising awareness and proposing recommendations to the Japanese government.

Jin Montesano
Jin is a change-maker whose mission is to help companies and teams achieve purpose-driven transformation. Jin came to Tokyo in 2014 to build a communications function for Lixil, a Japanese company that was globalizing after a series of M&A transactions. She helped the company articulate its global sustainability strategy, including the stewardship of Sato, an innovative award-winning social enterprise tackling the challenges of global sanitation and hygiene. Today, she leads People and Culture at a rapidly transforming and already global Lixil. She was appointed to the board of directors in June 2020. Originally from Honolulu, she was educated at Columbia and Princeton universities and has previously held roles at GSK, GE and Kraft Foods in Singapore, Bangkok and Brussels.

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.