Hiro Kadokura Confidence in Every Leadership Decision Leadership can be lonely. I spent a total of 14 years leading businesses in Japan and overseas within the Johnson & Johnson group and the AGC Group.
Over the course of 14 years living and working abroad, I worked across Japan, Asia, Europe, and North America, addressing a wide range of management challenges including international business, M&A and PMI, business transformation, organizational change, and the integration of different corporate cultures.
Through countless important management decisions, one thought stayed with me: “How much stronger would I have been if I had had someone nearby with whom I could openly share experience and discuss difficult issues?
That is why I want to serve as a trusted sounding board for business leaders — someone with whom they can speak candidly, organize their thoughts, broaden their options, and make important decisions with greater confidence.
Career I joined AGC Inc. (then Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) in 1984, where I worked on projects across Asia, at the Kashima plant, in the United States, and on PMI following an acquisition.
In 1998, I joined Johnson & Johnson. Within its medical device businesses, I held roles in financial analysis, sales, and business strategy, and later served as CFO of a pharmaceutical business.
I subsequently took responsibility for clinical diagnostics businesses in Japan and across Asia. I returned to AGC in 2018.
From 2019, as President of an acquired company in Spain, I led post-merger integration while driving growth of the European business and organizational transformation.
During my career, I have led global businesses, organizational change, profitability improvement, major investment projects of approximately USD 100 million, and post-merger integration.
Education & Qualification Waseda University, School of Political Science and Economics Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business — MBA U.S. Certified Public Accountant — Passed the Uniform CPA Examination Registered Management Consultant (Chusho Kigyo Shindanshi), Japan
Why I Founded Somni Consulting Somni means “dream” in Catalan. Through my experiences in Japan, Europe, the United States, and Asia, and through working with many business leaders and colleagues, I came to believe that dreams do not become reality simply by wishing for them. For a business leader, the first step is often a decision.
And behind an important decision, it helps to have a trusted counterpart — someone who brings experience, perspective, and an environment in which the leader can speak openly and think clearly.
Somni Consulting was founded to be that kind of partner: helping leaders turn their aspirations into reality, one decision at a time.
Message Japanese companies possess world-class technologies, talented people, and tremendous potential.
At the same time, the business environment has become increasingly complex, and leaders are being asked to make more difficult decisions than ever before.
Drawing on my management experience and the perspectives I have gained across different cultures and business environments, I want to work alongside leaders as they look to the future, helping them take the next step with confidence.
