Client Voice

Why CIC is chosen?

  1. Get best-in-class, remote, affordable, and state-of-the-art research and consulting services from the United States, a leader in the global economy and digital technology.
  2. As your company’s US base connects with Japan and the rest of the world, it can respond to flexible global needs.
  3. Gain balanced insights based on global industries.
  4. Leverage the 13-hour time difference between the US and Japan to respond to urgent business matters any time of the day.
  5. Support effective project implementation based on a deep understanding of diverse cross-cultural values.

Client Voice

Mr. Kyuzaburo Suzuki, CFO of Digital Entertainment Asset Pte. Ltd. (Former CFO/Partner of PwC Japan ）

I have been working with Rina, Founder and CEO of CIC, as a colleague and business partner since 2004. 

When we worked together on a global project that I led at PwC, I benefited greatly from her excellent project coordination, research and analytical skills.

We even stayed in touch regularly and exchanged information after Rina left PwC and worked for an international organization in Switzerland and the World Bank headquarters as a policy advisor to governments in developing countries.  

Since then, she has been invaluable in keeping me updated on geopolitics as well as on the latest developments in international affairs and businesses. 

In 2016, when PwC needed to move forward with a global project, they had trouble assigning an experienced internal consultant. 

So, I consulted with Rina, who happened to be back in Japan and she gladly agreed to support the project. It was the first time in 10 years that we were able to undertake a project together.

At that time, she had just left the World Bank to become an independent freelance consultant. She supported my project in parallel with her World Bank project.

Although the communication between Washington D.C. and Tokyo was mainly via email and conference calls, we were able to keep the project on schedule and complete it successfully far beyond the original expectations.

The project took about three years and working with Rina was a great asset for my subordinates during that time.

While COVID-19 has made meetings in remote locations with time differences over Zoom routine, it was a big challenge with the communication technology and social conventions of the time. I feel that we were able to pioneer remote work and left behind good best practices for the company.

For example, in a case where a member of PwC’s administrative staff had to accompany his family overseas, we introduced a system that allowed her to continue working. We also introduced a system to hire remote secretaries living in regional areas when there was a shortage of secretarial staff in the Tokyo office. Our way of working at the time set the precedent for these cases.

It is no exaggeration to say that the success of the remote consulting project with Rina was the foundation for these cases.

There are two things that I learned from the successful project with Rina:

1) If you can hire consultants with extensive experience and good communication skills, the impact of a virtual working environment, as well as differences in location and time zone, is very limited.

2) Rather, the difference in time zones works to our advantage, allowing us to carry out our projects more efficiently in a timely manner.

For example, by taking advantage of the time difference, it is possible to have a meeting in the evening in Japan to discuss urgent issues and receive a report the next morning with a proposal to solve them quickly. 

Evening in Japan is early morning in Washington DC. When it comes to urgent tasks, it is possible to have the information gathered and analyzed immediately after the meeting at the end of the day in Japan, and have a report, including the proposal for solving the problem, sent to you in early morning in Japan.

I am currently involved in the management of a Singapore-based startup that runs an entertainment business using blockchain technology. My dream is to go public in the US in the near future. I am looking forward to the day when I can ask for help from Rina and CIC.

Senior Fellow, a major pharmaceutical company (Former manager of a major foreign global consulting firm)

Following the global healthcare project at my former consulting firm, I requested support for the start-up phase of a new business in a pharmaceutical company.

Through accurate understanding of needs, prompt research, and provision of insights from both micro and macro-economic perspectives, Rina has supplemented and contributed as a business consultant to the manpower and capabilities lacking in the start-up phase of major global companies.

Rina is also the trusted coordinator who leads flexible and close communication with potential overseas partners when seeking global alliances.

Healthcare Startup, Chief Product Officer

The CIC keeps track of our strategic intentions and objectives and always delivers outputs above my expectations, which is very helpful for the project.

I sometimes order things rather roughly these days, but even with few clues, CIC can guide us through the project, making it easy to order second-opinion tasks. Furthermore, CIC’s second opinions are very valuable and insightful.

We look forward to working together and receiving continued support in the future.