Ms. Kaori Sasaki is the founder & CEO, ewoman, Inc., a well-known diversity expert, a best-selling author, and a sought-after commentator who appears regularly in the Japanese media. Through her work as a diversity expert to companies throughout Japan, she saw the need for a system to measure and reward companies for their diversity efforts. In 2018, she inaugurated the “Diversity Index”, which measures the diversity of corporations for use in their business strategies. She is also chair of THE BOARD, Japan’s female outside board network.
Since 1996, Ms. Sasaki has produced and chaired the International Conference for Women in Business (www.women.co.jp/conf/), the largest diversity conference in Japan. She founded ewoman, Inc., a diversity consultancy that provides marketing, branding, product development, and training to major corporations in 2000, and UNICUL International, Inc., a communications consultancy that offers executive media training and translation and interpretation in seventy languages, in 1987.
Ms. Sasaki has served on numerous corporate boards over the years, including NEC Corporation, Tokyo Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., Japan Post Co., Ltd., Premier Wellness Science, and Nissen Holdings, and on the advisory boards of Panasonic Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, ITOCHU Corporation, DaimlerChrysler, NIFTY Corporation and other major companies.
Conscious of her civic duty, Ms. Sasaki has also served on over 20 high-level councils for the Ministries of Health, Labor and Welfare, of Education, of Law, of Economy, Trade and Industry, and of Information and Technology, including the Regulatory Reform Council of the Cabinet Office and the Equal Participation Council (appointed to both by the Prime Minister). She was a member of the W20 Steering Committee and an executive board member of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020).
Her current positions (2025):
Outside Director, AGP Co., Ltd.,
Outside Director, TV Tokyo Holdings,
Outside Director, Maruetsu, Inc.
Champion of Japan, World Bank Women Entrepreneurs Funding Initiative (We-Fi)
Member, The Council for Gender Equality (Cabinet Office)
Member, Labor Policy Council/Labor Policy Basic Subcommittee (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
Councilor, Internet Association Japan
Vice President, Sophia University Alumni Association
Lecturer, Sophia University
Early in her career, Ms. Sasaki was also a news reporter, traveling to over 25 countries to report on human rights and other international topics for the highest-rated nationwide nightly news program, News Station, and anchored the CBS show “60 Minutes” in Tokyo). She has delivered over 1800 lectures on diversity management, time management, career development, and new methods of marketing to smart consumers in Japan and overseas, including OECD and APEC conferences.
Awards: Honorary Doctorate from Elmira College, NY, USA (2008), Entrepreneur Special Award from New Business Association (1988), Best Innovative Company of the Year, Stevie Award (2008), Best Mother Award (2009), BVLGARI’s Avrora Award (2021)
Former works: Outside Director of NEC, Outside Director of Japan Post, Outside Director of Nissen HD, Outside Director of Premier Wellness Science, Outside Director orKobayashi Pharmaceutical ,Outside Auditor, Tokyo Marine Nichido Fire Insurance, Advisory Board, Panasonic, Advisory Board, Itochu, Advisory Board, Toshiba, Advisory Board, Mitsubishi Daimler Chrysler
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