Maki Kurosawa

Partner

Leader, Healthcare & Life Sciences and Consumer Goods Practices, Japan

Maki advises global and local clients on their growth strategies through technology innovation.

Education

Tohoku University
BS in Biochemistry

Maki is a Partner at Arthur D. Little’s Tokyo office, where she heads the “Healthcare & Life Sciences” and “Consumer Goods & Retail”  Practices of Arthur D. Little Japan.

Her expertise ranges from visionary leadership planning to mid-/long-term corporate and business strategy planning, including international business expansion, R&D, and technology innovation. She has extensive experience supporting leading Japanese and international companies in the fields of FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) and healthcare from B2B to B2C.

Examples of projects Maki has been responsible for include:

  • R&D strategy and business planning in functional foods/beverages (several projects for successful Japanese companies in the FOSHU industry) from ingredients to packaged goods.
  • Visioning, scenario planning, and strategy development in R&D and IP management, as well as new business development in Consumer Health.
  • R&D management to help the client become an innovative learning organization (from strategy and processes to organization development).
  • Mid-term corporate strategy development for FMCG and HC companies
  • Biopharmaceutical business and R&D strategy development, CMO strategy development
  • Global expansion strategy including market and industry structures analysis in target markets
  • Emerging technology assessment in FMCG and HC companies
  • Various partnering and due-diligence projects relevant to the above areas (for local and global clients)

Maki is also a well-known author and speaker on topics related to the development of the Japanese functional food and beverage market. She received a BS from Tohoku University.

Recent Publications

Appetite for disruption – Making the most of the future of food
Being the leader of a global food and beverage business has been anything but easy over recent years. Going back a decade, the industry had a reputation for being fairly stable and conservative, dominated by a limited number of global brands that delivered steady growth and margins. Since then, the industry has been shaken by a succession of disruptions, including sluggish demand for traditional core products, rapidly changing consumer patterns and preferences, accelerating technological developments, and evolving attitudes towards the environmental and social impacts of food production.
The Future of Agri-Food
The world population continues to grow, and by 2050 a 70% increase in food production will be required to sustain it. Science and technology is widely recognized as being a key enabler to achieving this step change. However, many businesses in the agri-food industry struggle to invest precious resources in long term science and technology. In this article, the authors explore some of the key trends and challenges in the agri-food industry, and explain how foresight can be used to both stimulate innovation and provide shortcuts to markets.

Maki is a Partner at Arthur D. Little’s Tokyo office, where she heads the “Healthcare & Life Sciences” and “Consumer Goods & Retail”  Practices of Arthur D. Little Japan.

Her expertise ranges from visionary leadership planning to mid-/long-term corporate and business strategy planning, including international business expansion, R&D, and technology innovation. She has extensive experience supporting leading Japanese and international companies in the fields of FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) and healthcare from B2B to B2C.

Examples of projects Maki has been responsible for include:

  • R&D strategy and business planning in functional foods/beverages (several projects for successful Japanese companies in the FOSHU industry) from ingredients to packaged goods.
  • Visioning, scenario planning, and strategy development in R&D and IP management, as well as new business development in Consumer Health.
  • R&D management to help the client become an innovative learning organization (from strategy and processes to organization development).
  • Mid-term corporate strategy development for FMCG and HC companies
  • Biopharmaceutical business and R&D strategy development, CMO strategy development
  • Global expansion strategy including market and industry structures analysis in target markets
  • Emerging technology assessment in FMCG and HC companies
  • Various partnering and due-diligence projects relevant to the above areas (for local and global clients)

Maki is also a well-known author and speaker on topics related to the development of the Japanese functional food and beverage market. She received a BS from Tohoku University.

Recent Publications

Appetite for disruption – Making the most of the future of food
Being the leader of a global food and beverage business has been anything but easy over recent years. Going back a decade, the industry had a reputation for being fairly stable and conservative, dominated by a limited number of global brands that delivered steady growth and margins. Since then, the industry has been shaken by a succession of disruptions, including sluggish demand for traditional core products, rapidly changing consumer patterns and preferences, accelerating technological developments, and evolving attitudes towards the environmental and social impacts of food production.
The Future of Agri-Food
The world population continues to grow, and by 2050 a 70% increase in food production will be required to sustain it. Science and technology is widely recognized as being a key enabler to achieving this step change. However, many businesses in the agri-food industry struggle to invest precious resources in long term science and technology. In this article, the authors explore some of the key trends and challenges in the agri-food industry, and explain how foresight can be used to both stimulate innovation and provide shortcuts to markets.

More About Maki