Yukako Uchinaga

Chairperson and Representative Director of Japan Women’s Innovative Network (J-WIN) & Chief Executive Officer, Global Research Institute (Japan)

Yukako Uchinaga began her career in 1971 at IBM Japan, where she held several positions in development, marketing and management. She was elected to the board of directors of IBM Japan in 1995. She had been Chairman of the Board, CEO & President of Berlitz Corp. & Director and Executive Vice President of Benesse Holdings, Inc. from 2008 until March 2013. Ms. Uchinaga is currently board chair of J-Win (Japan Women’s Innovative Network), a non-profit organization that promotes diversity in workplace. Ms. Uchinaga started her own company called GRI (Globalization Research Institute Co., Ltd) in September 2013.

Ms. Uchinaga also established the ‘Japan Diversity Network’ (JDN) association in April 2014. In 1999, she became the first woman from outside the United States to be inducted into the Women in Technology International (WITI) Hall of Fame. In 2006, she was honoured by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) with the Upward Mobility Award. She was awarded the ‘Prime Minister’s Commendation for Efforts Toward the Formation of a Gender-Equal Society’ in June 2013.