After experiencing accounting and auditing, M&A and corporate development work at a major accounting firm and a global conglomerate in Japan and the United States, Ryota has held critical positions in the pharmaceutical industry for 15 years, including head of business development, head of marketing, business unit lead and corporate officer. Most recently, he was involved in the spin-off project of Organon at Merck & Co. and since 2021, he has served as the Representative Director and President of Organon’s Japan subsidiary. He has also been involved in advocacy activity and has served as a board member and a co-chair of several industry associations. Graduated from the Faculty of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University and is a certified public accountant in Japan and the United States.

Hideki Hirabayashi has 30 years of experience in major pharmaceutical companies specializing in DMPK and translational researches with extensive expertise spanning from the drug discovery stage to regulatory submission. In his previous role at Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., he served as Japan site head of DMPK Research Labs., and later as the Global Head of Nonclinical Biomarkers. Additionally, he held the position of President and CEO at T.N.Technos. Ltd. He is actively involved in academic fields and has contributed to the societal implementation of cutting-edge technologies in Japan. Currently, he serves as a Program Officer for the AMED (National) project on regenerative medicine and gene therapy. He is also a board member of the Japanese Society for the Study of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (JSSX) and the HAB Research Organization, while holding guest professorships at Tokyo University of Science and Nagoya City University. He received a MS degree from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, and earned his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Okayama University. Additionally, he is a licensed pharmacist.

Experienced in global pharmaceutical development and cross-functional collaboration. Started career at Eisai Co., Ltd. in drug safety, and subsequently led diverse projects from clinical development to product launch across domestic, international, and venture companies. At Bristol Myers Squibb, drove a major alliance project as Global PM, contributing to successful outcomes through collaboration with global stakeholders. Graduated from Okayama University Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and holds an MBA from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.