Expanding Our Global Reach: Virtual in Japan

In April, our company took the exciting step of formally introducing our services and offerings in Japan. While our firm has always provided support to membership organizations that are global in nature, many of these groups have had their roots in the United States, where our company is headquartered. Our new foray into Japan is based on two long-standing trends we have seen in that country:

• Numerous regional technology consortia tend to arise in Japan in any given year, and at times these regional groups seek to expand to a global focus. Making the leap from regional to global can be a significant step, and one in which an experienced and expert support team can be of high value.
• When multiple Japanese companies are involved as members in a global technology consortium, they often coordinate and collaborate with each other locally. And these local-based engagements tend to require some degree of logistical and operational support.

To drive our company’s initial engagement in the Japanese market, Virtual has engaged Koichi Tagawa to serve as our Representative – Japan. As the Chair of the Board the NFC Forum (a Virtual client) since that group’s inception in 2004, he deeply understands both business scenarios in detail. “Over the course of my NFC Forum experience working for two different Japan-based companies, I have always felt these regional collaborations could benefit from the services of a firm such as Virtual,” said Tagawa. “I am grateful that the Virtual team shares that vision has agreed to explore these opportunities.” In addition to engaging with Virtual on this new endeavor, Tagawa will continue as NFC Forum Chair on behalf of Sony Corporation.

The introduction of our service capabilities into Japan is part of our company’s overall broadening of professional services focus. While historically our clients have mostly been membership-based organizations, increasingly we are seeing interest in our offerings from a wider range of companies and organizations.