On April 1, 2020, Masaya Mori (former Rakuten executive director and founder of Rakuten Institute of Technology, currently executive partner at Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting LLC) will join the R&D Advisory Board of mercari R4D, the research and development organization of Mercari Inc.
The mercari R4D R&D Advisory Board was established in September 2019 to strengthen the decision-making process by consulting external experts on R&D from a third-party perspective. In addition to Masaya Mori, the four-member advisory board currently include Jun Murai (Professor at Keio University), Yoshihiro Kawahara (Professor at the University of Tokyo), and Woo-Keun Yoon (Robot Researcher and Entrepreneur).
mercari R4D aims to create future innovation in the Mercari Group’s services and businesses, and will continue to conduct research on cutting-edge technology fields with a view to the future.
Comment from Masaya Mori
The development of the Internet has dramatically changed society. People’s habits have changed, and IT services have become commonplace in their daily lives. Through the Web, a huge amount of economic activity is carried out every day, along with the creation and exchange of values. Mercari is at the forefront of this trend as one of Japan’s leading IT ventures.
I’ve decided to participate in the mercari R4D Advisory Board and cooperate with that challenge. Through in-depth discussions on research plans and the future of technology in various fields, I hope to contribute to the growth and social contribution of mercari R4D.
Profile of Masaya Mori
Currently Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting LLC Executive Partner, in charge of Emerging Digital Areas, after working at Accenture and Rakuten. At Accenture, he was engaged in manufacturing, finance, and government projects, as well as in research institute development projects as an advanced technology lead. At Rakuten, he oversaw research and development at seven locations in five countries around the world as an executive officer and representative of Rakuten Institute of Technology. He was on the advisory board of the G1 Deep Learning Study Group and chairman of the AI & Robotics Study Group of the Japan Institute of Information Technology. In the past, he has served as an advisory board member for the Information Processing Society of Japan, as well as a member of the CIO Development Committee and an APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) project advisor for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Publications include his book “Beginning of the Web Power Shift” (Kindai-Sales Co., Ltd.). He is a graduate of Keio University, Department of Economics.