Kawatani brings great depth of expertise on DEI in Asia to the Symmetra team
Amid the mainstream theories of diversity and cross-cultural relations rooted in Western thought, Takashi Kawatani is a pioneer of philosophies and training methodologies suited to Japan’s social and organizational culture. Born and located in Japan his expertise, built in the filed of DEI over the last 3 decades, lies in cross-cultural management and leadership, global diversity, and Japanese-style management.
Takashi Kawatani began his career by providing pre-departure management training for Japanese companies in Japan and assisting expatriates in becoming effective managers of diverse employees in international locations. He later went to Malaysia as a visiting researcher at the Center for Japan Studies of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS Malaysia). In 20 countries across Asia, Europe, and North America, he conducted research and training on conflict issues involving race, generation, language, educational background, and faith. Kawatani is a field-focused expert in cultural diversity and conflict resolution in the Asia-Pacific region.
In the field of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Kawatani has delivered training and executive coaching for multinational companies and non-profit institutions, including the Diversity and Inclusion in Asia Network. His experience with clients spans industries such as petroleum, healthcare, transportation, automotive, IT, finance, manufacturing, and trading companies.
In addition to corporate training, he teaches cross-cultural diversity issues and Japanese work ethics at undergraduate and graduate schools in Asia and Europe. An author of many books and articles on human resource development, he has appeared on television in several countries and hosted his own shows at Japan’s internet television as well as Singapore FM radio stations. He has given numerous presentations at conferences and received the Global HR Excellence Award at the World HRD Congress.