Originally from Hyogo, Japan Yoshi holds an Executive MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM), University of New South Wales. Starting his career at advertising agency Leo Burnett’s Tokyo office (Beacon Communications) in 2001, he then continued on to Leo Burnett’s head office in Chicago in 2006, as the second team member in the company’s history to join from Japan. With over 18 years of international marketing experience for global blue chip brands, Yoshi specialises in building enduring brands and the commercialisation of products into new markets. In 2009, he founded cross-cultural marketing agency doq^® in Sydney. Building a diverse cross-cultural team at doq^®, partnering with clients from a broad range of industries, ranging from government institutions to start-ups, the company has grown significantly in the area of marketing products and solutions from Japan. In 2014, Yoshi was invited to speak as a cross-cultural marketing expert at TEDxTitech Tokyo. Since 2014, he has been appointed as the official Australian Market Advisor for the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, Japan.

Managing Director, doq Japan k.k. (General Manager at doq Pty Ltd)
Originally from Osaka, Japan, Ko holds a Master’s Degree from Osaka University Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Applied Physics. In 2002, he began his career at advertising agency Leo Burnett’s Tokyo office (Beacon Communications), leading the communication strategy, TV advertisement implementation and in-store visual merchandising production for one of the world’s largest global fast food brands.

In 2010, Ko began work for the Japanese eyewear brand JINS. During his tenure in charge of both marketing and PR, domestic sales climbed to number one in Japan, fuelling business expansion in to China and America, in which he was also a key contributor.

Ko also led new product development for a PC use eyewear product, JINS PC (currently called JINS Screen), a breakthrough hit product that blocks blue light emitted from electronic devices, which sold over five million units and brought the Japanese brand to a global scale.

In April of 2016, Ko established doq Japan k.k. as the Managing Director.

Originally from Hyogo, Japan, in 2005 Ryuichi started his career at a commercial facility production company, leading event management and PR. In 2007, he worked at ALIEN EYE, a creative boutique agency specialising in digital as a COO / producer. In 2013, the company joined the Mullen Group, where he then worked as a COO / Head of Platforms, managing digital marketing and platform development for many global brands.
Ryuichi joined doq® in 2017 as Head of Digital, establishing d.doq Pty. Ltd (doq®‘s digital marketing agency) as Managing Director.

Originally from Yokohama, Japan. Naomi spent nine years in Perth, Western Australia where she graduated from Curtin University with BA (Honours) degree. She started her career in marketing & advertising at McCANN World group in 2004 where she worked with a wide range of clients from different industries. Her main focus was Japanese blue-chip companies entering and operating in the Chinese market. After six years in Shanghai, she joined a Sydney based multicultural marketing agency, MULTICONNEXIONS in 2010. She worked as a head of client servicing. Clients included finance, telecommunications, FMCG and government. In 2013, she joined DDB Tokyo office as a business director in charge of an international automobile client account. She joined doq® in February 2017.

Originally from Yokohama, Japan, Mihoko holds a Master’s Degree in Tourism, Hotel and Event Management from the University of Queensland. Mihoko’s passion lies in connecting cultures and people through tourism and events, and began her career managing logistics for conferences seminars and receptions at White & Case, a prestigious international law firm in Tokyo. After joining doq^® in 2014, Mihoko has utilised her knowledge and skills to delivery campaigns and events for clients such as the Japan National Tourism Organization’s Sydney Office, Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, Aomori Prefecture, Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau’s, All Nippon Airways and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan.

She holds the title of doq^® “Crew of the Year” for 2016 and 2015, an award given to the company’s most valuable employee.

Originally from Yamaguchi, Japan, Akiko holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Chuo University’s Department of Business Administration. In 1998, she joined Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd, the company famous for inventing the instant cup noodle. At Nissin, Akiko managed sales promotions and events for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and Korea, among many other new product launches, product concept development, consumer research, package design, advertising campaign implementation and distribution management. Akiko is proud to have work and life experiences across Australia, U.S.A and Japan as well as her additional job titles which include ‘mother of two children’ and ‘cafe barista’. In 2013 she joined doq^®, implementing BtoB and BtoC events for clients such as Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau, Japan External Trade Organization and Hakkoda (Aomori Prefecture). Akiko is now back in her home country, at doq Japan k.k., where she is passionate about delivering superior marketing and event management support to the team.

Originally from Sydney, Australia. Daniel has been in Digital Marketing for the past 8 years. He started his career by establishing his own social media agency at the age of 16, eventually selling it a few years later. He then joined a premier full service advertising agency where he honed his digital skills further. In 2014, he relocated to Tokyo to be involved in the startup scene, where he worked with various startup companies lending his digital marketing skills as a growth hacker. After spending his time in the Japanese startup scene, Daniel joined doq® in 2017, bringing his cross-cultural digital expertise to help brands across the globe penetrate Asian markets, as well as Asian brands wanting to enter the Western market.

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Nancy holds Masters Degrees in Management and International Management from the University of Sydney. Having worked and studied in Australia, the UK & Europe, Nancy’s passion lies in international and cross-cultural marketing, driving connections between cultures. With experience across a broad range of industries within marketing, Nancy has worked within the online travel industry at Expedia in Sydney on digital marketing (email and social) covering the Australia & New Zealand markets, the broadcasting industry at SBS in Sydney working on cross-cultural email marketing campaigns, the media & publishing industry at The Economist Group in London with a focus on ad marketing, and most recently in technology working on the project management of promotions for the Online Store at Microsoft in Sydney. Nancy joined the Tokyo office in 2016 as an Account Executive after relocating to Tokyo.

Originally from Shenyang, China, Seira grew up in Tochigi, Japan and holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the Department of Electrical Engineering Faculty of Science & Technology, Tokyo University of Science. In 2009 she began her career at an IT consulting firm where she was responsible for the end-to- end management of various global projects, from business requirement definition to launch and post-launch care. She then utilised her experience at an international law firm in 2014 managing projects for the Information Systems department. Through her previous work experience, Seira holds certifications in the areas of project management and information technology (Project Management Professional / Oracle Master / SAP HANA).

With a family spread across nine different countries and as a trilingual speaker (Japanese, Mandarin and English), Seira lives and breathes the cross-cultural experience every day. Seira joined doq^® in 2016 to utilise her cross-cultural consulting experience in a marketing context.

Originally from Hida Takayama, Gifu, Japan, Ai holds a Bachelor’s of Biological Science from Shizuoka University, Japan. After graduating, she joined Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K. of Johnson & Johnson as a Medical Representative where she managed the Nagoya and Gifu territories, marketing and selling a portfolio of Central Nervous System products to doctors and hospital pharmacists. Born and raised in Hida Takayama, a famous tourist spot in Japan, her passion lies in contributing to the vitalisation of regional Japan by introducing Japanese culture to the world. She is also passionate about creating bridges that connect the world more intimately through cross-cultural marketing. Ai joined doq® in 2016 as a Team Assistant.

Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Ayako started her career as a Director of Digital Content at SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS INC. After her first position, she decided to move to Australia to improve her English skills. In 2012, she returned to Tokyo to join DeNA Co. Ltd., an internet company specialising in creating platform services, digital content and e-commerce, as a Director. She was responsible for an offshore project to develop an application for the US market and it was through this experience where her interest in the marketing field grew. Following this, she worked at a number of Internet ad agencies and startups, gaining experience working on digital marketing for domestic and international clients. This led to a strong interest in cross-cultural marketing. She joined doq® Tokyo office where she hopes to continue to gain further experience in this area.

Originally from Yokohama, Japan, Mariko holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the Department of English Communication and Ergonomics Faculty of Liberal Arts, Tamagawa University. In 2012, she began her career at a leading consumer and lifestyle marketing & PR agency as an Account Executive. She worked primarily with global brands looking to expand their market in Japan, across the home furnishings, retail, cosmetics, clothing and tourism industries. She was interviewed and featured for one of her projects for a tourism board in “Koho no Shikakenin tachi” released by the Japan PR association in early 2016. Mariko joined doq® in 2017 to utilise her marketing & PR experience and knowledge of the world’s third largest market.

Originally from Los Angeles, California, Kana completed a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California Los Angeles. A strong interest in international business inspired Kana to work abroad. She has spent the last 3.5 years working in Japan in e-commerce and marketing and is now ready to bring her skills to life through working on a broad range of events. Her goals include working for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Tokyo Olympics back in Japan. In order to reach her goals, Kana began working at doq® in April 2017 to begin her career in international marketing.

Originally from Chiba, Japan, Satsuki is a Bachelor of Arts-International Communication student, currently completing his last year of studies. Throughout his degree he has focused on cross-cultural communication and global diversity, analyzing how culture, society and media coverage can contribute to how globalization impacts us. Satsuki has experience in the fields of public relations and social campaigns, having worked with local clients to manage campaigns and provide effective solutions. Satsuki is passionate about building a bridge between different cultures and thereby discovering the resulting value that connects the world together.

Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Christina is currently in her final year of a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in International Relations and American Studies) at the University of Sydney. During her university time, she participated in numerous domestic and international Model United Nations Conferences where she learnt about the importance of connecting different cultures to achieve international cooperation. Christina is passionate about Australia and Japan relations and cross-cultural communication. She loves to learn new languages and cultures and always welcomes new experiences. Christina is fluent in Korean and is currently learning Japanese and French. In 2017, Christina began an internship at doq® to start her career in international marketing.

Originally from Aichi. Growing up with traditional Japanese culture, Yujiro has developed eagerness in regard to the transformation, expansion and diversification of market demands towards Japanese culture. While studying the subject called the comparison of religions at Aoyamagakuin University, Yujiro’s passion lies in understanding the cultural diversities. Yujiro has various work experiences in the financial sector, law office as well as venture enterprises in Japan after graduation from university. Yujiro completed master degree in accounting and management on Sunshine Coast in Australia and has participated in the internship programme in doq® to contribute to the business relationship between Japan and a vast range of multicultural countries.

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Sarah is currently completing a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney. A strong interest in Japanese culture inspired Sarah to study abroad and further her Japanese language studies in Kyoto, Japan during 2016 at Doshisha University. Sarah is passionate about introducing and promoting Japanese culture to the Australian market through international and cross-cultural marketing. In 2017, Sarah began an internship at doq® to start her career in international marketing.