Kumi Sato ('81)

Kumi Sato in an interviewKumi Sato '81

Kumi Sato ('81)

Kumi Sato was a member of the Wellesley College class of 1981. Before Wellesley, she attended Nishimachi International School in Minato Ward, Tokyo, and the American School in Japan.

Studies at Wellesley: East Asian Studies

Other Institutions Attended: Nishimachi International School, American School in Japan

Family:

  • Married to Donald P. Kanak
  • Three children

 

After Wellesley...

  • Worked as a consultant at McKinsey and Co. in New York.
  • Founded and headed Cosmo International, a consultancy based in the United States that specialized in helping small and midsize Japanese companies enter the American market. 
  • 1987 took over COSMO Public Relations Corp. She bought COSMO a PR company her parents founded in 1960.
  • 199 launched one of the first websites in Japan dedicated to the empowerment of women, called womenjapan.com. 
  • 2011 Recognized by the Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards, winning "Outstanding Individual Achievement" award. The same year she won at The Gold Standard Awards 2011, "The Prospect Gold Standard Award for Professional Excellence."
  • 2012 Awarded Harvard Business School Club of Japan's "Business Stateswoman of the Year"
  • 2013, Appointed as Advisor for the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT).  
  • Co-Chair of the Global Council for the New York-based Asia Society.
  • Founder of BioCube, a think tank with a focus on healthcare and bio-related topics.
  • Author of two books: Aisareru Kaisha no Joken (2007) and Communication Leadership (2012)

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