I have experience working on projects in over 25 countries worldwide with social enterprises, NGOs and multinational corporations, focusing on social innovation, disaster response, and climate action.
In my role as International Coordinator for Peace Boat, an NGO with Special Consultative Status with the United Nations, my focus for 6+ years has been on disaster response, training programs to build disaster resilience, and UN-related projects. I have coordinated international teams in Japan after the 2011 Tsunami, and managed disaster relief operations internationally (E.g. Haiti, Nepal, Vanuatu, USA).
I am also the Business Development & Strategic Partnerships Manager for the Ecoship Project; the ambitious initiative to build the world’s most environmentally sustainable cruise ship. This 2000-passenger ship is a landmark initiative to bring about a paradigm shift towards a more sustainable future for the shipping industry by blending renewable energies, whole system design, and energy efficient technology.
As a trainer and facilitator, I have delivered workshops in places such as Hong Kong, Mexico, and Paris (COP 21), among others, and am also a professional disaster preparedness trainer. I speak regularly at schools, universities, and conferences (e.g. University of Tokyo, Climate Change Summit in Mexico, and USJC Annual Conference in San Francisco), and have served as a mentor and advisor for several social innovation programs around the world.
Since 2015, I have been selected as a Japan Foundation Fellow, an Asia-Europe Foundation Young Leader, a One Young World Ambassador, and an UNLEASH Lab Talent for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In 2017, I co-founded “Social Innovation Japan”, a collective of doers and thinkers committed to driving positive social change, and founded the “Explore Tohoku” Project, focusing on storytelling in the wake of the 2011 Tsunami in Japan and subsequent Fukushima nuclear crisis.
LINKS (Media / Interviews / Articles)
Featured by CNN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUjJKtI8Z_8
Interview by Tokyo Weekender Magazine
https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2017/12/walking-tohoku-a-614km-journey-on-the-michinoku-shiokaze-trail/
Interview by Metropolis Japan Magazine
https://metropolisjapan.com/on-the-trail-to-rebuilding/
Interview by GoGo Tohoku!
http://news.gogotohoku.jp/2017/08/08/explore-tohoku-michinoku-coastal-trail/
Article on The Next Challenge
http://thenextchallenge.org/walking-japans-tsunami-affected-coastline/
Interview on CNN Philippines:
http://cnnphilippines.com/world/2016/03/11/east-japan-earthquake-5-years.html?-asdfjk1
Interview on ThinkTech Hawaii TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7rZVHn7F1k
One Young World Article: “World Leaders Adopt the Paris Agreement on Climate Change: What Next?”
https://www.oneyoungworld.com/blog/world-leaders-adopt-paris-agreement-climate-change-what-next
Call on COP Speech (Climate Change) at One Young World Summit Bangkok 2015 – Message to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
https://youtu.be/hGQ2aoi2EBQ
Japan for Sustainability Article (transcription of speech) – “Tohoku and the World: 5 Years since the Great East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami”:
http://www.japanfs.org/en/news/archives/news_id035590.html
PechaKucha Talk on Nepal Earthquake Response (Live Presentation, 7 minutes):
http://www.pechakucha.org/cities/tokyo/presentations/mountains-of-support-for-nepal
National Geographic Article about Youth Network Building in Africa:
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/31/nothing-for-us-without-us/
United Nations Article about Youth Network Building in Africa:
http://www.unisdr.org/archive/41912
The Student Times Interview – “Hiking from Hadrian’s Wall to Holborn”:
https://issuu.com/sugarmedia/docs/st5.4/14
World Cares Center blog – “Japan, Catfish, and the Need for Disaster Preparedness”:
http://worldcares.org/blog/japan-catfish-and-the-need-for-disaster-preparedness/
Ambassador Magazine Article – “Out of the Ruins”:
http://www.asij.ac.jp/document.doc?id=3913
