Suzuka Kobayakawa

Biography:

Ms. Suzuka Kobayakawa started her career in Japan designing human resources training and recruitment plans for more than 900 client companies at Recruit Co., Ltd. After that, with the hope of utilizing her business and training expertise for the marginalized outside of Japan, she relocated to the US, Nepal, and Nigeria for six years. In the US and Nepal, she worked as Program Coordinator for peace-building training programs. As Reporting Officer of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nepal, she supported ex-child combatants upon their return to civilian life by starting a business, and reporting their progress in regards to their rehabilitation. In Nigeria, she worked for a rapidly growing start-up company as Project Manager for their mobile savings/payment business that aimed to enhance financial inclusion for low-income communities.

At GLOBIS, she is engaged in the development of courses in the area of Critical and Analytical Skills and Creation while developing impact investing deals for the KIBOW foundation.

She is a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar (2009), World Learning Fellow (2010), and Acumen Global Fellow (2014)

Faculty Message:

Can business solve social issues? Can social impact and financial returns be compatible? If so, how? We go through these questions in the social venture field where markets have failed and government aid has fallen short for the most part. There is no absolute answer on how, and it’s up to you to figure out how you tackle the social issues you’d like to resolve.

I believe there are so many ways to utilize what you have learned at GLOBIS for social good. I look forward to discovering your passion and creative ideas in class.

Discipline:

Creation
Critical and Analytical Skills

Courses:

• Social Venture Management
  

Education:

MA in Sustainable Development, SIT Graduate Institute
BA in International Development, University of Tsukuba