Tokyo Alumni Reunion

T-birds turned out in Tokyo for 2019’s Global Reunion

September 12-16, 2019 Tokyo, Japan

Sakoto Ito ’02

On September 12-16, 2019, more than 500 T-birds flocked to Japan to attend one of the largest Global Reunions to date. Alumni from more than 30 countries joined a weekend of events featuring some of the best cultural sites, food, venues and speakers to be found. The Thunderbird Japan Reunion Organizing Committee, a group of incredible alumni, spouses, and friends volunteered countless hours to make the event possible. A special thanks to the members of the Reunion Committee who made the event possible.

From the Gala dinner at the spectacular Happo-en which featured modern Japanese food and perfor mances from Japanese drummers to cultural activities that included sushi making, a ramen tour and Judo classes; alumni were treated to a taste of Japanese culture and hospitality. On Saturday, alumni and local business men and women attended the School’s Business Forum which focused on the theme “Global Challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.” The Business Forum was moderated by T-bird alumna, Ms. Yuka Tanimoto ’04, Deputy Editor of Forbes Japan. The forum began with opening remarks from Hiroshi Hamada ’91, Co-Chair of the Thunderbird Global Alumni Network (TGAN) and Chairman of the Thunderbird Japan Alumni Reunion and was followed by a panel of T-bird alumni working in the family business and entrepreneurship space, including Jimmy Masrin ’87, Kian Hoe Seah ’02, Mikoko Inamasu ’91 and Charu Modi ’97. The panel was moderated by Dr. Sanjeev Khagram, Thunderbird Director General and Dean.

A special thanks to the sponsors of the Global Reunion in Japan Diamond: Aruhi Corporation, HR Institute, Mass Centropi, Mizuho Securities Platinum: Dell Technologies, GMO Research, Thunderbird School of Global Management Gold: Global Impact, Maeser Institute Japan Ltd., Mizuho Bank, RGP Silver: Black Isle Global, Blue Planet-works, Neural, Nomura, Alumni Sponsors: Genichi Tamatsuka ’98, Satoru Hiraga ’90, Yuichi Otsuka ’90, Yutaka Nakazato ’03

2019 Tokyo Reunion Committee with Dean Khagram

“Best Diverse Inclusive Panel Ever! Where else do you get to hear from an Indian woman how she escaped prejudice and abuse to find herself at Thunderbird with kids in tow and break all societal and business barriers after that; a Japanese lady how she runs her business on specific values and limits her pay so she can determine with her employees (her “bosses”) where to spend the money for good; a Malaysian man on the business of recycling and how we can all turn plastic into currency, an Indonesian man on the 3Gs that should drive the decisions at all family-run businesses; and a Korean/Argentinian woman on how to co-opt men in promoting gender-equality in family business and the directionality of gender-based communication (among many other excellent insights). All brought together by Thunderbird Director General and Dean Dr. Sanjeev Khagram. The stories were inspirational, aspirational, and - above all - conveyed a sense of (Thunderbird) family and future opportunity at the same time. I can’t thank you enough for elevating the Thunderbird mystique to another level. Kudos! ~ Case Everaert ’90

Dr. Edward Jung, Founder & CEO of Xinova gave the Keynote Presentation on “Understanding the Global Innova- tion Ecosystem in the 4th Industrial Revolution” while the afternoon portion of the business forum was dedicated to an interactive imagination session led by Bob Beard from the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University.

Several alumni opted to extend their stay and participated in the two-day reunion extension in Kyoto that was organized and hosted by the Thunderbird Alumni Osaka chapter.

In typical T-bird fashion, the week- end was filled with a healthy mix of culture, fun, networking, and learning. Be sure to join us at one of our next re- unions including the European Reunion taking place in Portugal in March 2020 and don’t miss the 75th Anniversary Celebration & Opening of the new Global Headquarters in 2021 in Phoenix.