About

President and CEO

Masayo Takahashi　MD, PhD

Affiliations:

• Councilor, Japan Ophthalmological Society
• Executive Director, Japan Society for Regenerative Medicine
• Executive Director, Japan Retina and Vitreous Society
• Director, Japan Retinitis Pigmentosa Society
• Director, Public Interest Incorporated Foundation NEXT VISION
• Fellow, Ritsumeikan Advanced Research Academy (RARA), Ritsumeikan University
• Senior Adviser, Research Center, Kobe City Eye Hospital Membership in International Organizations
• The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
• Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis (AOI)
• International Member, National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
• Associate Member, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)

Masayo Takahashi is an ophthalmologist who completed her doctoral program (Visual Pathology) at the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University. She served as the leader of the Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research from 2006 to 2022, conducting groundbreaking clinical research using the world’s first induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in 2014. In 2017, she collaborated with the city of Kobe to establish the “Kobe Eye Center.” After leaving RIKEN in 2019, she became the CEO of Vision Care Inc. and subsequently founded two subsidiary companies dedicated to gene therapy development and cell therapy research.

Director and COO

Keita Okuda

Keita Okuda graduated from the Faculty of Law at Kyoto University and went on to establish Value Create Inc. after working at MUFG Bank, Ltd. He assumed the role of Representative Director. Engaging in a diverse range of corporate development, revitalization, and management endeavors, he is involved in both for-profit and non-profit sectors. He has contributed greatly to the establishment of Vision Care Inc. and Kobe Eye Center.

Director and CFO

Takuma Fukuda

After graduating from the Faculty of Education at Waseda University, Takuma Fukuda worked at Daiwa Securities Co. Ltd. before founding BuzzBox Inc. engaged in recruitment support services, which he later sold. He has since focused on investment and business development in the healthcare and human resources sectors. Leveraging his diverse experiences, he is actively involved in the management of the Vision Care Group as a founding member.

Outside Director

Kazuhiko Toyama

Kazuhiko Toyama, a graduate of the Faculty of the University of Tokyo and holds an MBA from Stanford University. He has passed the Japanese National Bar Examination. He worked at Boston Consulting and Corporate Directions before becoming the COO of the Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan, where he engaged in the revitalization of over 40 companies, including Mitsui Mining and Kanebo. He has been involved in the management reform and growth support of numerous companies and has held positions such as Chairman of IGPI Group, Industrial Growth Platform, Inc. (IGPI) and External Director of Panasonic.

Executive Advisor

Kanoko Oishi

Kanoko Oishi, a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Osaka University, obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School. After serving as a partner at McKinsey & Company, she founded Mediva Inc. with the aim of transforming Japan’s medical and caregiving fields from the perspective of patients and users. She focuses on business development, operations, and consulting. She has held positions such as committee member for the Cabinet Office (Council for Regulatory Reform), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. She also serves as a Japan Advisory Board Member for Harvard Business School and a committee member of the Osaka University Management Council.

Executive Advisor

Yasunori Kaneko

Yasunori Kaneko, a graduate of the School of Medicine at Keio University, obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Stanford University. He is known for his pioneering work in the field of biotechnology, having worked at Genentech, Inc. a leading bioventure. He held various positions including Senior Vice President and CFO at Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. , and Vice President of Business Development and CFO at Tularik, Inc. In 1999, he became involved in the founding of the venture capital firm Skyline Ventures, where he served as Managing Director. Currently, he is the Lead Independent Director of Arcus Biosciences,Inc., and an External Director at ProvigateProvigate,Inc.