TOKYO --(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 2001 No more Nike blues for i2. The technology giant is moving on& and moving East, to Japan.
In order to spearhead the Japan operation, i2 recently announced that Sam Nakane has been named chairman, president and CEO of the company's Japan operations. He has also been named a senior vice president of i2.
Nakane joins i2 from PricewaterhouseCoopers where he had been a managing partner since December 1999. At PricewaterhouseCoopers he was e-business leader for Japan and B2E leader for the Asia Pacific Theater.
"Sam Nakane is the perfect person to lead i2 as it expands its reach even further into Japan," said Sanjiv Sidhu, i2 chairman and CEO. "He has a wealth of experience in supply chain and business-to-business e-commerce, as well as a tremendous knowledge of the Asian market. We anticipate that he will quickly make an impact by building strong relationships with employees, customers and alliance partners."
The appointment of Nakane, as well as the company's plans to invest extensively in a development center in the region, confirms i2's move to grow its business significantly in Japan. "This region is on the verge of an e-business explosion and is critical to our future growth. There is no one better than Sam Nakane to deliver the i2 solutions and value to the businesses of Japan," continued Sidhu.
"The timing is right, the i2 TradeMatrix Solutions are world class, and best of all the i2 value proposition and approach to the customer is second-to-none," said Nakane. "I am excited to join a company that has such a strong customer focus. Instead of walking into a business and dictating to the customer what they need, i2 listens to what the customer wants and then delivers. Speaking from experience, I know of no company as committed to delivering value to the customer as i2."
"Sam Nakane is highly regarded throughout Japan and he will immediately make an impact at i2," said Hideki Kurashige, CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consultants, Co., Ltd., Japan. "He understands the unique Japan market and business climate, which will allow i2 to immediately take advantage of the significant opportunities in the region today and over the next decade."
Kurashige also expressed his pleasure in working with Nakane to grow the PricewaterhouseCoopers and i2 alliance. "i2 is one of our important strategic partners, especially in Japan, and there is tremendous opportunity to help strengthen the Japanese economy and enhance individual enterprise leadership. With Mr. Nakane in this position we will be able to strengthen our alliance with i2 in Japan."
Prior to his position with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Nakane worked for SAP. There he led SAP's efforts in Japan from its very beginning, working as President and CEO of SAP Japan from 1993-96. In 1997 he was named CEO of SAP North East Asia, covering the Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese markets. In 1999 he was named SAP Senior Corporate Vice President, responsible for the SAP Global Internet Strategy.
Prior to joining SAP Japan, Nakane served in various management positions with IBM including Tokyo branch manager, regional manager for Distribution Industry Japan, executive assistant to the president of IBM Asia Pacific, director of Plans and Controls for IBM Japan's Marketing Operations, and director of Strategy for Services Business. In total, Nakane spent over 20 years with IBM; four of which were spent in IBM's Corporate Headquarters in New York.
Nakane received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Tokyo Science University in 1971. He is a member of Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives). Since 1996, he has been a Managing Director of the Japan Management Accounting Association. He also serves as an external director on the board of the e-business division of the largest retail company in Japan.
