Key Staff Profiles
Debbie Howard, President
Debbie has lived and worked in Japan for 25 years. Prior to founding JMRN, she worked for four years as Research Coordinator for INFOPLAN, the marketing research division of McCann-Erickson Hakuhodo, where she handled major consumer research accounts.
Debbie attended the Graduate Business School at Georgia State University after graduating from the University of South Carolina, and has a 33-year career overall in marketing and communications.
Although her passion for achieving success as a female entrepreneur in Japan consumes much of her time, both in and away from the office, Debbie can usually be found during one of her infrequent days off engaged in her other passion -- golf. Having played some of the most challenging courses in Asia, Australia and the U.S., Debbie finds the game to be a paradigm for success in Japan with its prerequisites of form, focus and commitment -- seasoned, of course, with a little luck and occasional swearing.
Debbie served as president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) in 2004 and 2005, chairman in 2006 and 2007, and continues to serve as ACCJ President Emeritus. She is also Visiting Professor of Marketing at Tokyo's Sophia University (click here to view an online interview with Debbie Howard).
A. Robert Deter, Managing Director
Bob has 20 years of experience in Japan and an over 30-year career in marketing and information services. Besides developing and maintaining online information retrieval systems indispensable to JMRN, he is instrumental in ensuring quality at all stages of the research process from methodology design through final report output.
Bob's longtime interest in IT hardware and software solutions consumes much of his time both during and after office hours. However, his leisure activities suggest a very different personality. Specifically, Bob is an avid fan of Harley Davidson motorcycles, and structures many of his vacations around participating in cross-country touring events in the U.S. and Asia. He also enjoys dangerous game hunting and has most recently returned from a successful buffalo hunt in Australia's Northern Territory.
In Japan, however, Bob shoots only with his Hasselblad, and his photography is well known among the local expatriate community. A graduate of Clemson University, he has been with JMRN since 1989.
Dave Perry, Project Manager
Dave first came to Japan a decade ago, whereupon his initial interest in the country’s ancient history and culture developed into a desire to understand every aspect of Japan’s contemporary socio-political economy. His quest for knowledge and desire to learn the truth behind the myth of Japan’s “uniqueness” ultimately led him to the University of Sheffield’s School of East Asian Studies in his native England, and International Christian University, Tokyo, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Japanese Studies and Master’s degree in East Asian Business. Today, Dave’s core research interest is focused on Japan’s contemporary society.
As a JMRN research analyst and trend watcher, Dave utilizes both qualitative and quantitative research techniques to translate consumer insights into actionable recommendations for product development, positioning, branding and marketing strategies. Dave applies his research background to understanding how the changing structure and evolving demographics of Japanese society influence the psychographic profile of Japanese consumers and how that influence presents new opportunities for businesses -- both international and domestic.
During his free time, when not indulging his passion for cinema and hoarding books, Dave can be found frequenting hole-in-the-wall jazz bars and searching out hidden gems among Tokyo’s myriad izakaya (traditional Japanese food and drink establishments) and restaurants. The best of his culinary discoveries can be reviewed at the blog he maintains, “In Praise of Izakaya."
Dave also serves as Co-Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan's (ACCJ) Marketing Programs Committee.
Madoka Suganuma, Project Coordinator
Born in Tokyo, Madoka spent her formative years aboard, having lived in over 8 countries around the world, mainly in Europe. Upon returning to Japan to attend Tokyo’s International Christian University, where she majored in International Relations, she found herself having to learn the ins-and-outs of Japanese culture almost from scratch. Fluent in Japanese and blessed with an inquisitive mind, she quickly acquired an insider’s understanding of how the Japanese mindset works.
While Madoka’s international background gives her an objective point of view on Japanese society, as a native Japanese she is also sympathetic to more local perspectives. This unique ability allows her to provide profound insights into product development and brand management by picking up cultural nuances and putting them in context for her clients. With a background in localization and translation, Madoka is expert in making sure that the finer points of the Japanese cultural and psychological experience do not get lost in the research process.
When not on the dance floor or a ski slope, Madoka can be often found in the kitchen, where she experiments with new ingredients and recipes from around the world.
Yuka Sakaitani, Logistics Coordinator
A graduate of Seikei University, Yuka began her career as a flight attendant with Japan’s flagship airline; an experience that enabled her to refine her approach to client service and relations. Following her tenure in the skies, she touched down in Los Angeles, where she furthered her studies while indulging a passion for travel and cultural (not to mention culinary) discovery in Mexico and Brazil. It was these travels, and the people she encountered upon the way, that reinforced Yuka’s belief in the importance of an open mind and diverse friendships.
As JMRN’s Logistics Coordinator, Yuka utilizes her superlative relationship management and planning expertise to ensure that all the support processes essential to successful research happen smoothly and on time.
Yuka dedicates her free time to Hula dancing, which she has practiced and taught for some 15 years. More recently, she has developed a taste for tennis – a sport she pursues with great rigor.
Yumiko Nishigawa, Lead Moderator
(Branded Luxury Goods, Healthcare, Financial Products)
Unlike most Japanese moderators, who rarely diverge from a fixed focus group discussion script, Yumiko actively utilizes personification, collage building, brand mapping and associative imaging in her moderation techniques. She is not only well-versed in a wide range of product/service categories, but also skilled in terms of her ability to "connect" with a variety of respondent types, including homemakers, working females, middle to older-aged males and, importantly, both girls and boys of the younger generations.
A graduate of Tokyo's Gakushuin University, Yumiko has been working with JMRN for over ten years as lead focus group moderator, and has conducted well over 1,000 focus groups since becoming a full-time moderator in 1995.
Along with JMRN president Debbie Howard, she has also co-authored the ESOMAR presentation titled, "West Meets East: Considerations in Conducting Meaningful 'Global Template' Research in the Japanese Market." (please see the link)
Yukio Ohira, Lead Moderator
(IT, Website Usability, Pharmaceuticals, Financial Products)
A graduate of Tokyo's prestigious Keio University with a degree in Western history, Yukio has been working in market research for more than 20 years. In fact, he first met JMRN president Debbie Howard when they both embarked on careers in market research at McCann Erickson Hakuhodo in the early 1980s.
Driven by "a desire to understand all things," Yukio's perpetual inquisitiveness and natural analytical skills soon led him to moderate focus groups on a full-time basis. Since 1993, Yukio has conducted more than 1,000 groups and in-depth B2B interviews on a variety of topics ranging from digital technology and pharmaceuticals to carpets and Chilean wines.
Certified as an Affiliated Financial Planner (AFP) by the Japan Association for Financial Planners and an avid online trader, Yukio is especially well suited to conduct research about Japan's financial sector -- currently one of the most dynamic areas of deregulation in Japan.
Besides spending much of his free time "wheeling and dealing" online, Yukio is an avid game player and game developer. Having recently completed the development of an educational investment-related board game called Happy Investor, he has now turned his attention toward Venturo -- a board game for young adults that he hopes will both stimulate and encourage their entrepreneurial skills.
For information about employment opportunities at JMRN, please visit our Contact Page.
