Yusuke Kono

Investment team

2020 - Current

Senior Manager, Human Resources Division

2017 - 2020

• Implement reforms including reducing overtime, flexible scheduling, and other practices to promote better work-life balance • Create systems to attract and retain new talent, particularly among younger employees to revitalize corporate culture • Develop human resources to build future corporate leaders and global managers Achievements: - “Global Challenge Program” a system of assigning Japanese employees to overseas subsidiaries in Germany, the USA and Thailand to enhance corporate leadership skills

Sales General Manager, Senior Vice President

2015 - 2017

LIXIL THAILAND PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED Sales General Manager, Senior Vice President • Led local sales teams and created strategy to expand aluminum window sales to boost aluminum products market share • Improve relations/communications between local Thai sales teams and Thai production sites that formerly focused on products for the Japanese market Achievements:  Created mid-term strategy aimed at tripling sales to $42M within 4 years through project expansion, product development, powder-coating, and adding a B2C component to our traditional B2B model through retail channels  As head of a Thai extrusion factory, managed 6,000 employees with a goal of shifting focus from a mature Japan market to the growing Thai market  Established new business development team to expand sales in new business areas including high-rise buildings, retail, and online businesses

Senior Specialist, Brand Marketing Department

2014 - 2015

• Improved communications and relations between American Standard and Japanese headquarters in Tokyo Achievements: - Boosted American Standard’s social contribution in developing countries by distributing and installing portable toilets below cost - Started project team to promote hi-tech toilets with remote controls, heated seats, and bidet functions

News Reporter

2001 - 2014

Journalist, Economic News Division (2007-14), Aomori branch (2003-07), Akita branch (2001-03) • Researched and reported mainly economic news, both in print and broadcasting • Appeared on TV explaining key issues and analyzing impacts or effects on real people’s lives • Gathered information by building relationships with government officials, corporate executives and key opinion leaders and experts • Covered financial topics including monetary policy as well as hi-tech, and retail industries Achievements  Nominated twice for Japan Newspaper Publishers’ Prize for: Reporting on Softbank’s merger talks with Sprint Nextel in 2013 Reporting on Toshiba’s switch from HD DVD to Blu-ray systems in 2008  Interviewed top global leaders including Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, Starbucks executive chairman Howard Schultz and Uniqlo CEO Tadashi Yanai  Reported on 2014 G20 Summit in Brisbane in which the US Fed’s “tapering” decision (reducing its $85bn bond buying program) and the impacts of financial volatility on developing countries were major issues  Covered Bank of Japan’s launch of quantitative and qualitative monetary easing, including massive purchases of Japanese government bonds (JGB) in 2013  Gained critical and audience acclaim for my series titled “How should Japanese companies globalize?” (2011) - Launched a series called “Galapagos Syndrome” that examined why Japan’s former world class hi-tech industries were being challenged by rivals in China, Korean and Taiwan (2009) - Revealed that emergency paramedics in Akita prefecture conducted technically illegal medical procedures without doctor’s instructions, galvanizing a debate on legal changes (2003)