Sustainability Advisory Council Second Phase
Purpose
In April 2021, the Ajinomoto Group established the Sustainability Advisory Council as a subordinate body of the Board of Directors to pursue the enhancement of corporate value on a continuing basis from the perspective of sustainability. The Council is renamed Sustainability Advisory Council Second Phase and continues to discuss the ideal form of our Group regarding sustainability from a long-term perspective and a multi-stakeholder perspective, and report to the Board of Directors.
Roles
Report to the Board of Directors after conducting investigations on the following in response to consultations from the Board.
Report to the Board of Directors on Implementation of materiality, disclosure and dialogue on its progress, and building relationships with stakeholders through these efforts, with a view to strengthening the monitoring of the Board of Directors.
Sustainability Advisory Council Member Profiles
(Chair) Mana Nakazora
Vice Chairperson, Global Markets, BNP Paribas Securities (Japan) Limited
After working for Nomura Research Institute, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan, Nakazora joined BNP Paribas as the Head of Credit Research Department in 2008. She came to the current position since February 2020. She has served as a member of the Financial System Subcommittee of the Financial System Council.
[Dreams, cherished values etc.]
As a credit analyst for many years, I have been thinking about investment first in terms of profitability. In doing business, the three important values I hold are: 1) to be critical 2) to be aware that you are half a step ahead from others, and 3) to be easy to understand.
Yoshiki Ishikawa
Representative Director, Well-being for Planet Earth Foundation
Co-founder, Cancerscan
Public health researcher, Ph.D. in Medicine. As a public health researcher, entrepreneur, and science journalist, Ishikawa is working at the intersection of science, business, and government as a catalyst with the aim of advancing the well-being of society. Specializes in preventive medicine, behavioral science, computational creativity, etc.
[Dreams, cherished values etc.]
I am originally from Hiroshima. I grew up learning from both grandparents who survived the atomic bomb, the importance of “serving society” and “belief in letting go of what they must do good things for the world.” As a researcher in public health, I value “measurement.”
Naoko Kimura
Membership Director, Global Impact Investing Network（GIIN）
Kimura worked for UNESCO Bangkok, Morgan Stanley Japan, and the United Nations Global Compact in New York prior to joining the GIIN in May 2018. She became the Senior Manager, Member Engagement at GIIN in 2021 and has been in her current position since June 2022. The GIIN seeks to accelerate the development of the impact investing industry by convening impact investors to facilitate knowledge exchange, conducting research, and producing tools and resources.
[Dreams, cherished values etc.]
I was born and raised in the United States. I had the opportunity to further my understanding of social and environmental issues within international frameworks when I was working at UNESCO Bangkok. Subsequent work experience in the financial sector made me aware of the potential of finance to change the world, which has led me to my current work.
Minoru Matsubara
Managing Executive Officer, Responsible Investment, Resona Asset Management
He joined Resona Bank in 1991 and has been consistently engaged in investment management since then. He was in charge of investment management and planning in the Investment Development Office, Public Fund Management Department, Pension Fund Management Department, Trust Fund Management Department, and Investment Management Department. In April 2000, he was appointed Executive Officer and General Manager of Responsible Investment Department of Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. He has been in current position since April 2023.
In 2000, he became a visiting fellow at the Pension Fund Management Research Institute, and in 2005 he became a visiting fellow at the Research Institute for Policies on Pension Aging.
He has served as member of Seminar Planning Committee at Securities Analysts Association of Japan, and member of the Expert Committee for the Sustainable EXPO at Japan Association for the 2025 Japan World Exposition. Vice-Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Impact-Driven Financing Initiative. He has served on numerous committees, including as a member of the "GX Finance Study Group" at METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry). His major publications include: co-author of Ethical White Paper, co-author of Corporate and Financial Capital Market "Transformation" in the Age of New Capitalism, etc.
[Dreams, cherished values etc.]
What inspired me to engage in responsible investment was a Native American saying that I learned from a person at PRI: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, We borrow it from our children”.
In order to "provide prosperity and happiness to future generations”, I would like to think about what we can do now, always thinking about "what is prosperity, and what is happiness?”.