Norihiko Hirose established International Interface in 2000 and International Interface (U.S.) in 2003. As an international business consultant, he has played a central role in numerous strategic investment partnerships, technological surveys, marketing, business, and communications between Japanese and American firms.
 
Before becoming an independent consultant, Mr. Hirose was active in a wide range of roles as a systems engineer at NTT and NTT Docomo, in the fields of corporate planning, product planning, business startups, marketing, advertising, M&A, investment partner management, and overseas venture investment. He was a member of the early planning team for i-mode, Japan's mobile web platform, and was involved in the international standardization of the Internet specifications and W3C standards.

Mr. Hirose has spent over 10 years in the U.S. and has been a frequent guest speaker for leading American universities, companies, information and telecommunications industry associations, and venture capital organizations, including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, Intel, ITAA, Accel Partners, and Doll Capital.

Naveed Khan served as President of Siemens Venture Capital where he oversaw operations from investments to business development prior to joining International Interface (U.S.) in 2003.

Mr. Khan oversees consulting services centered on Silicon Valley, bringing to the company his extensive connections in venture companies and venture capital, as well as his extensive experience as an external corporate director.

Joy Au was engaged in sales planning at an OA equipment distributor in Hong Kong, contributing to their growth across the Asia-pacific region. After acquiring an MBA in the UK, she led a sales strategy team for the Asia region of a UK-based semiconductor distributor located in Hong Kong. She is fluent in Japanese, having lived in Japan and worked in Japan’s consumer products industry for the past 10 years. She has experience of developing marketing strategies for companies, and organizing various marketing activities, including market research, event planning, and digital marketing.

She speaks Japanese, English, and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese).

YKenichi Ogita acted as the core of all processes, from securing to developing and allocating human resources according to the company's business strategy at the HR department of JNC. At the same time, he planned and organized company briefings and training programs as a leader and successfully led these projects with his extraordinary coordination skills. He is an HR specialist who led multiple projects while contributing to the strengthening of relationships with internal and external parties.

Yasutaka Nagai has specialized in new business development and marketing for over 10 years. After working in sales and quality process management at a cold forging parts manufacturer where he assumed responsibility for international services in charge of negotiations with various companies overseas, he later became engaged in developing new customers, project management, and services related to customer satisfaction at a listed company in communications, before joining International Interface.

Mr. Nagai has extensive knowledge of multicultural environments owing to his many years of  experience and residence in Brazil and other countries overseas.

After working as a financial advisor for clients at Ichijo Co., Ltd., she engaged in finance, accounting and recruiting at an IT-related system developer. She then worked in the logistics department of Mercedes-Benz Japan Co., Ltd., where she conducted inventory management and engaged in coordination with Daimler AG, the parent company in Germany, and dealer support, gaining work experience at a global company. She was then involved in supporting the acquisition of intellectual property rights in foreign countries and patent translation at a patent law firm.

Nianci Zhang was in charge of covering political and financial news at the national television station of China as well as editing a program with over 20 million viewers. After that, she was in charge of establishing a Beijing branch for a software company in the US. Before arriving in Japan, she helped establish a Chinese startup and was responsible for hiring activities. Using six years’ worth of knowledge in international cultures, she conducted research on cutting-edge technology in Japanese, English, and Chinese in the engineering division of Mitsubishi Chemical, and was responsible for new product development and strategy planning.

Yusuke Ebihara was engaged in corporate sales of hydraulic control equipment at a precision equipment manufacturer. He contributed to the strengthening of relationships with existing customers with his great hospitality and ability to provide proposals from a customer-first perspective. He then studied business translation and gained abundant knowledge on international communication, in order to prepare himself for more business activities.

After obtaining a master’s/doctor’s degree from a Japanese university, she joined the R&D and Intellectual Property divisions of Nissan (China) Investment Co., Ltd. She took charge of wide varieties of works in the fields of legal affairs and patents including filing of patent and trademark applications in China, research on trademarks and intellectual property, as well as detection of forged products. She pursued her responsibilities with her high communication skills in Chinese, Japanese and English, and by collaborating with various stake holders such as offices all over the world, the Chinese government, suppliers, attorney offices and academic institutions. At International Interface, Fan Yang takes charge of real estate brokerage for non-Japanese citizens in the real estate intermediary and consulting business.

Keiko Takeuchi has lived in three culturally distinct countries―Germany, the U.S., and Turkey―for ten years and has experience in translation and interpretation in each country. She has a deep understanding of the lifestyle, culture, and business custom differences between Japan and other countries, and is uniquely qualified to bridge the gaps. Over her nine-year career with a major Japanese film production company, she developed an interest in real estate, engaging in and transitioning to the real estate management business and acquiring certification as a registered real estate broker. Using her rich international experience and business knowledge, she takes charge of clients in Europe and Japan as a consultant for international businesses. Ms. Takeuchi currently resides in Düsseldorf, Germany. She is fluent in English and can also speak German.

Tomohiro Horiguchi has had a long career in sales in the life insurance, recruiting, and travel industries. In the travel industry, he worked in the front line of the corporate sales department at a major travel agency, where he honed his ability to respond quickly and flexibly, and to make proposals from the customer's perspective. Meanwhile, as an individual, he has built assets mainly through real estate management and has been working as a businessman and a manager of rental properties at the same time. By utilizing the sales skills, human network, real estate investment know-how, and knowledge as a financial planner that he has cultivated through these experiences, he is working as a real estate agent who can provide investment advice for acquiring one's own home, inheritance, land utilization, real estate investment, and rental management.