Weeks after Brooklyn agency IxCO (formerly Inamoto & Co) announced the launch of its Tokyo office, the “business invention firm” has shed some light on details around the new venture.
The shop is expanding to Japan to better serve many of its clients headquartered there including Toyota, Uniqlo and Asics.
IxCO has tapped Takashi Mazawa and Norikuni Takamiya to lead the Tokyo office, as each possesses “business strategy, creative vision and technology insights,” according to the agency. Additionally, design directors Eri Miyagi and Hong Ko of the Brooklyn office will provide support for the Japanese team, with strategic oversight from IxCO co-founders Rei Inamoto and Rem Reynolds.
Mazawa most recently served as a business strategy manager at Accenture Strategy, while Takamiya joins from creative firm Party, where he served as chief strategist. Moving forward, IxCO will establish a “collaborative relationship” with Party, which is based in Japan, to work on shared clients and initiatives (the two have worked together in the past).
“With the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, all eyes are on Japan,” said Inamoto in a statement. “But what’s most important for Japan is beyond 2020 and thinking about how to use that spotlight and build sustainable national and global businesses long term. IxCO has unparalleled global experience with an acute cultural understanding of Japan and is uniquely positioned to help Japanese brands succeed on a global stage and to help Western brands in Japan.”