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INVESTORS

Board of Directors

The Board is responsible for decision-making including management policies and annual budgets. It also oversees business execution and the business performance of each director. 

Meet our Board

Kazuhiro Hatano

President & CEO

Kazuhiro Hatano

President & CEO
After graduating from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Hoshi University, Mr. Hatano began working in the Clinical Development Department of Maruho Co., Ltd. In 1992 he joined Fujisawa Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (now Astellas Pharma Inc.) engaging in clinical trials of immunosuppressant drugs in the Development Division. In 2005, he established Linical as a founder, serving as President & CEO.

Keigo Tsujimoto

Executive Vice President
Chairman Linical Europe & Americas

Keigo Tsujimoto

Executive Vice President
Chairman Linical Europe & Americas

After graduating from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Mr. Tsujimoto worked as a CRA at a Japanese pharmaceutical company, then in 2002 began working as a development manager at a foreign pharmaceutical company. He joined Linical in 2008 to serve as an Executive Vice President. Later, he served as CEO of Linical USA. In 2015, he also became the CEO of Linical Europe. After returning from Europe, he has served as Chairman of Linical Europe & Americas, and International Business Manager since December 2020.

Jun Kawai

Executive Vice President
Director & CEO, Linical Europe Holding GmbH

Jun Kawai

Executive Vice President
Director & CEO, Linical Europe Holding GmbH

After graduating from Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Mr. Kawai completed a Master’s degree at the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science of the same university. After joining the Research Division of Nihon Shearing K.K., he worked on pharmaceutical product development at Meditech International Co., Ltd., SmithKline Beecham Co., Ltd., and Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

In December 2006, he joined Linical then has contributed to the company’s globalization effort when he served as Supervisory Director of the Asian Region since June 2016. Then, he became Director of US Business in December 2020. In May 2021, he became Director, President & CEO of Linical USA, Inc. Since Jan 2023 he has served as Director & CEO, Linical Europe Holding GmbH.

Akihiro Takahashi

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Akihiro Takahashi

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Mr. Takahashi earned a Master’s degree at the Graduate School of Medical Sciences at the University of Tsukuba. He worked at the Research Laboratories of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd., at Medi-Tech International Corporation, and at Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (now Astellas Pharma Inc.). Since April 2007 he has served in his current role of CFO at Linical, after joining as a co-founder. He was registered as an SME management consultant in 2010.

Masaya Miyazaki

Executive Vice President, Linical Japan
President & CEO, Linical Taiwan Co., Ltd.
President & CEO, Linical China Co., Ltd.

Masaya Miyazaki

Executive Vice President, Linical Japan
President & CEO, Linical Taiwan Co., Ltd.
President & CEO, Linical China Co., Ltd.
  • After graduating from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Mr. Miyazaki earned a Master’s degree in Pharmacology at the same university.
  • After a stint as a CRA in Japan, in 1999 he started working on the development of immunosuppressant drugs in the Development Division of Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (now Astellas Pharma Inc.).
  • From 2003, he worked as a project leader on fertility and anticancer drugs at a foreign pharmaceutical company.
  • In 2005, he co-founded Linical and on the opening of the Tokyo office in 2006 was appointed a director of the company.
  • After serving as head of the Development division, Mr. Miyazaki assumed the position of Executive Vice President, Asia and President and CEO of Taiwan in December 2020.

Isao Sakamoto

Executive Director
Director, President & CEO, Linical USA, Inc.

Isao Sakamoto

Executive Director
Director, President & CEO, Linical USA, Inc.

After working in the Development Division of Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (now Astellas Pharma Inc.), Dr. Sakamoto started his career at Linical in July 2005. Following experiences as a project leader on various clinical trials, including trials of drugs for intractable diseases, and as Manager of Clinical Development, in 2010 he began expanding Linical’s oncology business, as the Director of the Oncology Business Unit. 


In 2014, he secured the contract for Linical’s first Asian clinical trial, and as the Director of the Asian Development Unit, he worked on developing a platform for the company’s current systems for Asian and global trials. Since September 2015 he was appointed as President of Linical USA Inc., also became Director, President & CEO of Linical Accelovance America Inc., an acquired company, in April 2018 and has been committed to stabilizing and expanding the US business. In December 2020, he became Director of Europe Business, and in May 2021, he was appointed as Director & CEO of Linical Europe Holding GmbH. Since Jan 2023 he has served as Director, President & CEO, Linical USA, Inc.


 

Shiori Yamaguchi

Executive Director

Shiori Yamaguchi

Executive Director

After graduating from Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Ms. Yamaguchi worked as a hospital pharmacist at a medical institution in Osaka. In 2000, she started working in development support as a temporary employee at Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (now Astellas Pharma Inc.). Later, while engaged in CRC tasks at an SMO, she was appointed as a temporary auditor at Linical when the company was newly established in 2005. In 2007, she became a Linical employee and was put in charge of the Internal Audit Office (now “Audit Office”). She has served in her current role of Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) since 2009.

Eri Sugiyama

Outside Executive Director

Eri Sugiyama

Outside Executive Director
  • October 2001 Registered as an attorney (Osaka Bar Association) Joined Habataki Law Office
  • November 2008 Joined the Financial Services Agency (fixed-term staff) Financial Securities Inspector, Inspection Coordination Division, Inspection Bureau, Financial Services Agency
  • January 2010 Specialist Inspector, Inspection Coordination Division, Inspection Bureau, Financial Services Agency
  • June 2010 Special Inspector, Inspection Coordination Division, Inspection Bureau, and Assistant Director, Policy and Legal Division, Planning and Coordination Bureau, Financial Services Agency
  • December 2010 Resigned from the Agency
  • July 2013 Partner, Habataki Law Office (current position)
  • June 2018 Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member of ShinMaywa Industries, Ltd. (current position)
  • April 2022 Professor of Legal Practice, Graduate School of Law, Kobe University (current position)
  • June 2023 Outside Executive Director (current position)

Satoko Nishimura

Outside Executive Director

Satoko Nishimura

Outside Executive Director
  • October 1989 Joined Asahi Shinwa Accounting Firm (currently KPMG AZSA LLC)
  • August 1993 Registered as a certified public accountant
  • March 2001 Established Satoko Nishimura Certified Public Accountant Office and assumed the position of Representative (current position)
  • October 2002 Registered as a certified public tax accountant Established Satoko Nishimura Certified Public Tax Accountant Office and assumed the position of Representative (current position)
  • February 2023 Outside Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member) of Zojirushi Corporation (current position)
  • June 2023 Outside Executive Director (current position)

Yoshiaki Nakashima

Outside Executive Director

Yoshiaki Nakashima

Outside Executive Director
  • April 1978 Joined Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (currently Astellas Pharma Inc.)
  • June 2001 Director of Human Resources Department of Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
  • April 2005 Director in charge of Human Resources Department of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • April 2007 Chief of Secretarial Office of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • April 2008 Vice President, Head of Human Resources Department of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • June 2009 Executive Officer and Director of Human Resources Department of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • June 2013 Executive Officer and General Manager of Human Resources Division of DAISO CO., LTD. (currently OSAKA SODA CO., LTD.)
  • April 2015 Executive Officer and General Manager of Human Resources Division and Director of Corporate Planning Department, Corporate Strategy Division of DAISO CO., LTD.
  • April 2016 Executive Officer and General Manager of Human Resources Division and Director of Human Resources Development Department, Human Resources Division and Director of Corporate Planning Department, Corporate Strategy Division of OSAKA SODA CO., LTD.
  • April 2017 Executive Officer Director in charge of Human Resources Division and Corporate Planning Department, Corporate Strategy Division of OSAKA SODA CO., LTD.
  • June 2017 Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member of the Company
  • July 2019 Audit & Supervisory Board Member of LINICAL TAIWAN CO., LTD. (current position) Audit & Supervisory Board Member of LINICAL KOREA CO., LTD. (current position)
  • December 2019 Audit & Supervisory Board Member of Linical China Co., Ltd. (current position)
  • June 2023 Full-time Audit and Supervisory Committee Member (Outside Executive Director) (current position)

Yuichi Murakami

Outside Executive Director

Yuichi Murakami

Outside Executive Director
  • April 1981 Joined Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (currently Astellas Pharma Inc.)
  • April 2011 Vice President, Head of Accounting & Tax Department of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • June 2013 Vice President, Head of Accounting & Tax Department of Astellas Pharma Inc. and Audit & Supervisory Board Member of Amgen Astellas BioPharma KK (currently Amgen Inc.)
  • July 2017 Joined Marvelous Inc.
  • October 2017 Director of Accounting and Finance Department, Administration Division of Marvelous Inc.
  • November 2017 Audit & Supervisory Board Member of G-Mode Corporation
  • July 2020 Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member of the Company
  • June 2023 Full-time Audit and Supervisory Committee Member (Outside Executive Director) (current position)

Yoshimitsu Ando

Outside Executive Director

Yoshimitsu Ando

Outside Executive Director
  • April 1982 Joined Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (currently Astellas Pharma Inc.)
  • January 2009 Vice President, Head of Clinical Development Department II, Development Division of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • October 2011 Corporate Vice President in charge of Development Division of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • June 2012 Senior Vice President, Head of Development Division and Deputy Head of Business Strategy Office of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • April 2013 Senior Vice President, Head of Clinical Development Office of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • June 2015 Executive Director and Senior Vice President, Head of Clinical Development Office of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • April 2017 Executive Director and Senior Vice President and Assistant to the President and Head of Clinical Development Office of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • October 2018 Executive Director and Senior Vice President, Head of Development Division of FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • July 2021 Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member of the Company
  • June 2023 Full-time Audit and Supervisory Committee Member (Outside Executive Director) (current position)

Kazuhiro Hatano

President & CEO
After graduating from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Hoshi University, Mr. Hatano began working in the Clinical Development Department of Maruho Co., Ltd. In 1992 he joined Fujisawa Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (now Astellas Pharma Inc.) engaging in clinical trials of immunosuppressant drugs in the Development Division. In 2005, he established Linical as a founder, serving as President & CEO.

Keigo Tsujimoto

Executive Vice President
Chairman Linical Europe & Americas

After graduating from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Mr. Tsujimoto worked as a CRA at a Japanese pharmaceutical company, then in 2002 began working as a development manager at a foreign pharmaceutical company. He joined Linical in 2008 to serve as an Executive Vice President. Later, he served as CEO of Linical USA. In 2015, he also became the CEO of Linical Europe. After returning from Europe, he has served as Chairman of Linical Europe & Americas, and International Business Manager since December 2020.

Jun Kawai

Executive Vice President
Director & CEO, Linical Europe Holding GmbH

After graduating from Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Mr. Kawai completed a Master’s degree at the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science of the same university. After joining the Research Division of Nihon Shearing K.K., he worked on pharmaceutical product development at Meditech International Co., Ltd., SmithKline Beecham Co., Ltd., and Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

In December 2006, he joined Linical then has contributed to the company’s globalization effort when he served as Supervisory Director of the Asian Region since June 2016. Then, he became Director of US Business in December 2020. In May 2021, he became Director, President & CEO of Linical USA, Inc. Since Jan 2023 he has served as Director & CEO, Linical Europe Holding GmbH.

Akihiro Takahashi

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Mr. Takahashi earned a Master’s degree at the Graduate School of Medical Sciences at the University of Tsukuba. He worked at the Research Laboratories of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd., at Medi-Tech International Corporation, and at Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (now Astellas Pharma Inc.). Since April 2007 he has served in his current role of CFO at Linical, after joining as a co-founder. He was registered as an SME management consultant in 2010.

Masaya Miyazaki

Executive Vice President, Linical Japan
President & CEO, Linical Taiwan Co., Ltd.
President & CEO, Linical China Co., Ltd.
  • After graduating from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Mr. Miyazaki earned a Master’s degree in Pharmacology at the same university.
  • After a stint as a CRA in Japan, in 1999 he started working on the development of immunosuppressant drugs in the Development Division of Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (now Astellas Pharma Inc.).
  • From 2003, he worked as a project leader on fertility and anticancer drugs at a foreign pharmaceutical company.
  • In 2005, he co-founded Linical and on the opening of the Tokyo office in 2006 was appointed a director of the company.
  • After serving as head of the Development division, Mr. Miyazaki assumed the position of Executive Vice President, Asia and President and CEO of Taiwan in December 2020.

Isao Sakamoto

Executive Director
Director, President & CEO, Linical USA, Inc.

After working in the Development Division of Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (now Astellas Pharma Inc.), Dr. Sakamoto started his career at Linical in July 2005. Following experiences as a project leader on various clinical trials, including trials of drugs for intractable diseases, and as Manager of Clinical Development, in 2010 he began expanding Linical’s oncology business, as the Director of the Oncology Business Unit. 


In 2014, he secured the contract for Linical’s first Asian clinical trial, and as the Director of the Asian Development Unit, he worked on developing a platform for the company’s current systems for Asian and global trials. Since September 2015 he was appointed as President of Linical USA Inc., also became Director, President & CEO of Linical Accelovance America Inc., an acquired company, in April 2018 and has been committed to stabilizing and expanding the US business. In December 2020, he became Director of Europe Business, and in May 2021, he was appointed as Director & CEO of Linical Europe Holding GmbH. Since Jan 2023 he has served as Director, President & CEO, Linical USA, Inc.


 

Shiori Yamaguchi

Executive Director

After graduating from Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Ms. Yamaguchi worked as a hospital pharmacist at a medical institution in Osaka. In 2000, she started working in development support as a temporary employee at Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (now Astellas Pharma Inc.). Later, while engaged in CRC tasks at an SMO, she was appointed as a temporary auditor at Linical when the company was newly established in 2005. In 2007, she became a Linical employee and was put in charge of the Internal Audit Office (now “Audit Office”). She has served in her current role of Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) since 2009.

Eri Sugiyama

Outside Executive Director
  • October 2001 Registered as an attorney (Osaka Bar Association) Joined Habataki Law Office
  • November 2008 Joined the Financial Services Agency (fixed-term staff) Financial Securities Inspector, Inspection Coordination Division, Inspection Bureau, Financial Services Agency
  • January 2010 Specialist Inspector, Inspection Coordination Division, Inspection Bureau, Financial Services Agency
  • June 2010 Special Inspector, Inspection Coordination Division, Inspection Bureau, and Assistant Director, Policy and Legal Division, Planning and Coordination Bureau, Financial Services Agency
  • December 2010 Resigned from the Agency
  • July 2013 Partner, Habataki Law Office (current position)
  • June 2018 Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member of ShinMaywa Industries, Ltd. (current position)
  • April 2022 Professor of Legal Practice, Graduate School of Law, Kobe University (current position)
  • June 2023 Outside Executive Director (current position)

Satoko Nishimura

Outside Executive Director
  • October 1989 Joined Asahi Shinwa Accounting Firm (currently KPMG AZSA LLC)
  • August 1993 Registered as a certified public accountant
  • March 2001 Established Satoko Nishimura Certified Public Accountant Office and assumed the position of Representative (current position)
  • October 2002 Registered as a certified public tax accountant Established Satoko Nishimura Certified Public Tax Accountant Office and assumed the position of Representative (current position)
  • February 2023 Outside Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member) of Zojirushi Corporation (current position)
  • June 2023 Outside Executive Director (current position)

Yoshiaki Nakashima

Outside Executive Director
  • April 1978 Joined Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (currently Astellas Pharma Inc.)
  • June 2001 Director of Human Resources Department of Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
  • April 2005 Director in charge of Human Resources Department of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • April 2007 Chief of Secretarial Office of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • April 2008 Vice President, Head of Human Resources Department of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • June 2009 Executive Officer and Director of Human Resources Department of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • June 2013 Executive Officer and General Manager of Human Resources Division of DAISO CO., LTD. (currently OSAKA SODA CO., LTD.)
  • April 2015 Executive Officer and General Manager of Human Resources Division and Director of Corporate Planning Department, Corporate Strategy Division of DAISO CO., LTD.
  • April 2016 Executive Officer and General Manager of Human Resources Division and Director of Human Resources Development Department, Human Resources Division and Director of Corporate Planning Department, Corporate Strategy Division of OSAKA SODA CO., LTD.
  • April 2017 Executive Officer Director in charge of Human Resources Division and Corporate Planning Department, Corporate Strategy Division of OSAKA SODA CO., LTD.
  • June 2017 Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member of the Company
  • July 2019 Audit & Supervisory Board Member of LINICAL TAIWAN CO., LTD. (current position) Audit & Supervisory Board Member of LINICAL KOREA CO., LTD. (current position)
  • December 2019 Audit & Supervisory Board Member of Linical China Co., Ltd. (current position)
  • June 2023 Full-time Audit and Supervisory Committee Member (Outside Executive Director) (current position)

Yuichi Murakami

Outside Executive Director
  • April 1981 Joined Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (currently Astellas Pharma Inc.)
  • April 2011 Vice President, Head of Accounting & Tax Department of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • June 2013 Vice President, Head of Accounting & Tax Department of Astellas Pharma Inc. and Audit & Supervisory Board Member of Amgen Astellas BioPharma KK (currently Amgen Inc.)
  • July 2017 Joined Marvelous Inc.
  • October 2017 Director of Accounting and Finance Department, Administration Division of Marvelous Inc.
  • November 2017 Audit & Supervisory Board Member of G-Mode Corporation
  • July 2020 Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member of the Company
  • June 2023 Full-time Audit and Supervisory Committee Member (Outside Executive Director) (current position)

Yoshimitsu Ando

Outside Executive Director
  • April 1982 Joined Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (currently Astellas Pharma Inc.)
  • January 2009 Vice President, Head of Clinical Development Department II, Development Division of Astellas Pharma Inc.
  • October 2011 Corporate Vice President in charge of Development Division of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • June 2012 Senior Vice President, Head of Development Division and Deputy Head of Business Strategy Office of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • April 2013 Senior Vice President, Head of Clinical Development Office of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • June 2015 Executive Director and Senior Vice President, Head of Clinical Development Office of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • April 2017 Executive Director and Senior Vice President and Assistant to the President and Head of Clinical Development Office of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • October 2018 Executive Director and Senior Vice President, Head of Development Division of FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • July 2021 Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member of the Company
  • June 2023 Full-time Audit and Supervisory Committee Member (Outside Executive Director) (current position)

Successful clinical trials start with Linical.

Don’t let the complex clinical development journey hold you back. With Linical, you can overcome obstacles, save valuable time and money, and reach your goals. 

01 Request a proposal

We start by listening to your needs and understanding your goals to ensure we’re the right CRO for you.

02 Get a plan for success

We propose solutions that proactively tackle obstacles, optimize your trial design, and position you for success every step of the way.

03 Execute with confidence

We’ll guide you through each phase of the process, offering personalized support and a full range of services to help you achieve a successful trial. We are not a “one size fits all” CRO.

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