Empowering People
Transforming Organizations
Connecting Ecosystems
From Questions to Impact
Bridging industry, government, academia, and international organizations
to drive entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable value creation.
My Thoughts
What is the unique value that people bring in an AI-native age?
It is not the ability to solve given problems more efficiently. Rather, it is the ability to ask our own questions, bring people together, and create new value amid uncertainty.
I call this mindset—and the ability to turn it into action—entrepreneurship.
A better society cannot be built on great ideas alone. It requires entrepreneurship: the ability to bring people together, turn ideas into reality, and continuously create new value.
My work is to expand entrepreneurship beyond a select group of founders, embedding it across individuals, organizations, and ecosystems, while exploring and putting into practice the mechanisms through which sustainable value creation can continuously emerge.
My activities span a wide range of fields—corporate transformation, executive education, startup ecosystem development, entrepreneurship education, the international standardization of innovation management, and international collaboration in disaster risk reduction. Yet they are all driven by a single fundamental question:
How can people, organizations, and society continuously create new value in a sustainable way?
Together with fellow changemakers around the world, I pursue the answer to this question through the twin disciplines of research and practice, continuously translating what we learn into real-world impact.
Professional and Academic Activities
His work spans executive education, startup ecosystems, innovation management, and international standardization — all connected by a common purpose: turning learning into transformation.
01
Executive Education for Next-Generation Business Leaders
Connecting Silicon Valley and Japan to develop the next generation of leaders who will drive Japanese companies in the AI-native era.
Affiliated Organizations:
UC Berkeley Executive Education
02
Global Standards for Innovation Management
Working with international experts to develop global standards for innovation management and help organizations build systems for sustained value creation.
Affiliated Organization:
American Network for Innovation
03
Globalizing Startup Ecosystems
Connecting Japanese startups and regional ecosystems with global markets, investors, and business opportunities to accelerate international growth.
Affiliated Organizations:
Startup Genome
04
Advancing Global Entrepreneurship
Connecting entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, and policymakers to create environments in which entrepreneurship can thrive sustainably.
Affiliated Organizations:
Global Entrepreneurship Network
05
Academic Education and Next-Generation Talent Development
Developing the next generation of changemakers through education in entrepreneurship, innovation, and practical leadership for students and professionals.
Affiliated Organizations:
Sophia University
06
Global Disaster Resilience
Bringing Japanese disaster resilience technologies and expertise to the world to help build societies that can withstand disasters and maintain essential functions.
Affiliated Organizations:
Japan Bosai Platform
Profile
Affiliations and Positions
Domestic Activities
Member, Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai)
Moonshot Ambassador, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan
Member, Green Innovation Project Subcommittee, Industrial Structure Council, Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
J-Startup Recommender, METI
Vice President, Sophia Alumni Association
International Activities
Distinguished Fellow, Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC)
RISE-Certified Innovation Management Professional, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
Board Member, American Network for Innovation (ANI)
Member, U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO/TC 279 – Innovation Management
Professional Background
Throughout his career at The Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, the World Bank Group, Mercer, the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), and Japan Innovation Network, he has consistently led the launch of new businesses, organizations, and strategic initiatives.
Drawing on experience in both Japanese and global organizations, he brings a cross-sector
perspective—spanning business, international organizations, public-private collaboration, and academia—to his work on value creation, organizational transformation, and innovation ecosystem
development.
Since 2015, he has been actively engaged in the international standardization of innovation
management through ISO/TC 279. As the only Japanese expert continuously involved in drafting and negotiating both ISO 56002 (the guidance standard) and ISO 56001 (the certifiable
requirements standard), he has played a leading role in advancing global standards for innovation
management.
He spent eight years working in the United States, based in Chicago and Washington, D.C., gaining
extensive experience in global management, talent development, and innovation.
His international outlook was first shaped by an exchange program at Salzburg College in
Salzburg, Austria. Since then, he has dedicated his career to connecting Japan with the world and
advancing sustainable value creation through innovation and entrepreneurship.
Education
B.A. in Management, Faculty of Economics, Sophia University
BA, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
Throughout his career at The Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, the World Bank Group, Mercer, the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), and Japan Innovation Network, he has consistently led the launch of new businesses, organizations, and strategic initiatives.
Drawing on experience in both Japanese and global organizations, he brings a cross-sector
perspective—spanning business, international organizations, public-private collaboration, and academia—to his work on value creation, organizational transformation, and innovation ecosystem development.
Since 2015, he has been actively engaged in the international standardization of innovation management through ISO/TC 279. As the only Japanese expert continuously involved in drafting and negotiating both ISO 56002 (the guidance standard) and ISO 56001 (the certifiable requirements standard), he has played a leading role in advancing global standards for innovation management.
He spent eight years working in the United States, based in Chicago and Washington, D.C., gaining extensive experience in global management, talent development, and innovation.
His international outlook was first shaped by an exchange program at Salzburg College in Salzburg, Austria. Since then, he has dedicated his career to connecting Japan with the world and advancing sustainable value creation through innovation and entrepreneurship.
Official Profile
Member, Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai)
Moonshot Ambassador, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan
Member, Green Innovation Project Subcommittee, Industrial Structure Council, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
J-Startup Recommender, METI
Vice President, Sophia Alumni Association
Hiro Nishiguchi graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Sophia University and earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Throughout his career at The Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, the World Bank Group, Mercer, and the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), he has consistently led the launch of new businesses, organizations, and strategic initiatives, building a cross-sector career spanning finance, international organizations, consulting, public-private partnerships, and higher education.
He currently serves as Japan Director for UC Berkeley Executive Education, Professor by Special Appointment at Sophia University, President of Startup Genome Japan, Managing Director for Japan of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), and President of the Japan Bosai Platform, among other roles. Bridging industry, government, academia, and international organizations, he advances the transformation of Japanese companies and promotes sustainable value creation through startup ecosystem development, entrepreneurship education, the international standardization of innovation management, and the global deployment of disaster resilience technologies.
Distinguished Fellow, Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC)
RISE-Certified Innovation Management Professional, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
Board Member, American Network for Innovation (ANI)
Member, U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO/TC 279 – Innovation Management
