Management

Since joining the company as a new graduate in 1997, Yoshiyuki YAMADA has constantly strived to find the right balance between the two pillars of his business area, “Urban planning” and “Environment”, firmly believing in continuous improvement. He aspires to sow the seeds of transition both inside and outside the company through the development of new projects that go beyond the field of “consulting”.

Osamu SUZUKI has dedicated over 30 years to the waste management sector, focusing primarily on municipal waste disposal and intermediate treatment facilities. In addition to his consulting role, he actively participates in fieldwork, maintaining equipment alongside fellow workers. He aims to apply these experiences to tackle various challenges, including waste management and climate change.

Toru SHIMAKAGE started working part-time at EXRI in 1994 while attending an architectural design night school, and has now worked there for over 30 years. He spent more than a dozen years with the late founder, Yoji KUSUMOTO, and has since been involved in a multitude of projects, spanning beyond the scope of environmental and regional planning, and has also worked in general affairs, sales and corporate planning. He studied management by taking correspondence courses while working and is currently striving to complete his master’s degree in Social Design.

I’ve always been drawn to mystery stories. But the mysteries I’ve pursued are not those solved by famous detectives—they are the “why” hidden within companies and organizations. For nearly twenty years as a banker, I worked closely with businesses and their financial statements. Even balance sheets that appear similar often tell entirely different stories. Discovering the reasons behind the numbers gradually became one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. Today, I lead the Planning and Administration Division. I enjoy reading the numbers, listening carefully to people, and bringing teams together—much like following a recipe to create something greater than the sum of its ingredients. In my free time, you’ll usually find me reading, cooking, enjoying music and films from the 1980s, or watching sports. Life is full of foreshadowing—perhaps that’s what makes it so fascinating.

Before joining EXRI, Kaoru OKA studied urban planning at university, worked as a local government official and earned a master’s degree in regional planning (majoring in environmental planning) at graduate school. With experience in national and international contexts related to air, water and waste issues, she has supported in recent years the negotiations of environmental treaties and the development of national systems regarding the transboundary movement of hazardous waste (Basel Convention), mercury (Minamata Convention) and plastic pollution. What she finds compelling about this job is that the proposals developed from one’s own analysis of information are reflected in policy.