Smoooth, Inc.

Advisor

Naoki Iwanami

Representative Director, eumo, Inc. (a not-for-profit company)

After graduating from university, Naoki joined Fuji Bank (now Mizuho). In 2002 he co-founded Work Happiness. In 2017 he was one of the founders of the Eudaimonia Institute, a general incorporated association, and became a director. From November 2018 to June 2019 he served on the Value Co-Creation Task Force of the Cabinet Office's Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters. In 2019 he helped launch eumo, Inc., becoming Representative Director in 2021, and founded eumo Academy to foster human development and expanded awareness. His work focuses on building social relational capital based on empathy capital, community building, empathy-based management, self-organizing organizational development, and talent development grounded in developmental theory.

Advisor

Kozo Takei

Social Activist & Social Systems Designer

After high school, Kozo moved to the US to pursue music. Back in Japan he started a business based on his experiences in America, and went through bankruptcy and the sale of a business. In 2007 he founded a real-estate IT company, whose unique "management without control" approach, built on full transparency, drew wide attention. As Japan's leading figure in self-organizing, decentralized management (Teal organizations and DAOs), he has worked tirelessly to spread new forms of management, winning the White Company Award in 2017 and launching the Natural Management Study Group in 2018. With the goal of creating a sustainable, circular society, he serves on the boards of many for-profit and non-profit organizations, including the digital currency platform eumo, and others working on the SDGs, fair trade, regional revitalization, community development, childcare and education.

Advisor

Tamotsu Fukushima

Former President, Benesse Corporation

Born in Okayama Prefecture. In 1971 he joined Fukutake Publishing (renamed Benesse Corporation in 1995) while enrolling in the evening program of Okayama University's Faculty of Law and Letters. He became President of Benesse Corporation in 2007 and, after the group's reorganization into a holding company in 2009, served as President of Benesse Holdings until 2014. Since retiring, he has served as a board member of NPOs tackling social issues, supported entrepreneurs, and acts as Chief Happiness Advisor to eumo, Inc., among other roles.

Advisor

Yohei Kato

Adult Development Scholar (Program Supervisor)

After graduating from Hitotsubashi University's Faculty of Commerce and Management, Yohei worked in international tax consulting at Deloitte Tohmatsu. He then earned an MA in Psychology focused on developmental psychology and integral theory, along with a certification in developmental assessment, from John F. Kennedy University in the US, followed by an MSc in Psychology (talent development) and an MSc in Evidence-Based Education from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Based in Groningen, he advises on the development of people, organizations and society from the perspective of adult development. His books (in Japanese) include titles on adult development theory and growth fatigue in society, on growing capabilities through adult development theory, and on why managers struggle with their teams.

Ambassador

Takashi Maeno

Dean & Professor, Faculty of Well-being, Musashino University / Professor, Graduate School of System Design and Management, Keio University

Born in 1962 in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Takashi graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tokyo Institute of Technology and holds a PhD in Engineering. After working at Canon Inc. and serving as a visiting researcher at the University of California, Berkeley and a visiting professor at Harvard University, among other roles, he became a professor at Keio University's Graduate School of System Design and Management. In 2024 he founded the Faculty of Well-being at Musashino University and became its first dean. He is Professor Emeritus at Keio University. His research centers on the science of happiness and innovation education, and he also serves as Representative Director of the Well-being Society.

Ambassador

Madoka Maeno

Visiting Professor, Faculty of Well-being, Musashino University / CEO, EVOL Inc.

Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Well-being at Musashino University, researcher at the Keio University Graduate School of System Design and Management Research Institute, and member of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). After the University of San Francisco and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), among others, she became CEO of EVOL Inc. She has written many books (in Japanese) on well-being, including one for children aged 10 and up, a guide to practicing happiness in work and life, and seven principles of well-being management for happy, high-performing teams.

Ambassador

Eric Masashi Matsunaga

Dean & Professor, School of Global Studies and Collaboration, Aoyama Gakuin University / Business Consultant / Musician

Born in Tokyo in 1967. Eric completed a master's degree at Aoyama Gakuin University's Graduate School of International Politics, Economics and Communication. He spent his childhood in South America (the Dominican Republic) and New York, among other places, began performing as a professional musician at 15, and studied jazz guitar under Mick Goodrick at Berklee College of Music. After working as a systems engineer at a major manufacturer and at AT&T, he moved into consulting. Following roles at Accenture, Nomura Research Institute and IBM Japan, he became APAC Lead Partner for the media sector at Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting, and later Japan Lead Partner for Digital Services at PwC Consulting, where he launched the digital business and founded the Experience Center, serving as its first head. In 2018 he launched ONE NATION Digital & Media, advising mainly large companies on digital transformation (DX). In 2019 he became a professor (international business and management) at Aoyama Gakuin University's School of Global Studies and Collaboration, where he advocates "artist thinking" and tackles social issues in the "Eric Seminar," a space for empathy and creativity shared by students and working professionals. He has been dean of the school since 2023. He is also a Specially Appointed Professor at the Graduate School of Project Design and a board member of St. Stephen's School. His books (in Japanese) include works on artist thinking driven by intuition, empathy and the senses, and on focusing solely on value.