Roundtable #7 – “Designing sustainable workplace environments with a multicultural perspective”

Roundtable: Sustainability with Ross Rowbury

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.

For our special speaker, Rowbury will invite Christopher Brooks, Executive Officer and Design Director of Garde, a brilliant architect with several award-winning projects under his belt.

The contents of Roundtable by The Japan Times will be published as an archive at a later date and will be introduced in the main paper of The Japan Times and the website of Sustainable Japan by The Japan Times.

Christopher Brooks
Christopher is an executive officer and design director of Garde, an international branding and interior design company based in Tokyo. After receiving a Master’s degree and becoming a licensed architect in the United States, he came to Japan in 1997 and worked for Shin Takamatsu Architects in Kyoto, which gave him his first insights into Japanese culture. For over 20 years Chris has lived and worked in Japan, directing several award-winning projects. His experience is rooted in the U.S. and Japan but also spans across Asia through Garde’s various offices in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Shanghai.

Founded in Tokyo in 1985, Garde started out as a design firm that assisted foreign retail brands to establish businesses in the Japan market. Today, Garde currently has approximately 100 employees in 11 offices (Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Milan, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles). The company provides a unique set of design services in the areas of corporate office, retail, residential, hospitality, and mixed-use developments.

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.