TOKYO— December 22, 2021— Bain & Company Japan, Inc., a leading strategy consulting firm, is announcing that Shintaro Okuno will complete his rotation as Japan Representative as of December 31, 2021 and will be succeeded by Dave Michels on January 1, 2022. Moving forward, Mr. Okuno will dedicate his time to serving the firm’s important client relationships as a senior Partner, representing a part of Bain & Company’s broader investment and commitment to the Japanese market. Under Mr. Michels’ leadership, Bain & Company will leverage its considerable global expertise, together with its diverse and experienced team, to help its clients transform and achieve their full potential.

Shintaro Okuno said, “It has been my absolute honor to lead our team in Tokyo, supporting the important management agendas of our clients and expanding our business platform since 2014. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the trust and support from our clients and colleagues. Moving forward, I am excited to continue supporting our clients in Japan and beyond as a senior Partner of Bain & Company.”

“Founded in 1982, the Bain Tokyo office will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2022 and I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all of our clients and partner companies who have supported us in our growth over the years,” said Dave Michels.

“We are determined to further evolve our firm to enhance our clients’ corporate value in response to the increasing uncertainty and drastic changes in the social environment, while inheriting deep knowledge of the Tokyo office that has been cultivated up to now. We are committed to help our clients to deliver results which also contribute to society. We believe that continuous challenges and diversity are key. We are determined to help our clients solve their most important agendas, leveraging our entire global team’s rich knowledge and expertise.”

Manny Maceda, Bain & Company’s Worldwide Managing Partner said, "Japan is a very important market that has found its own way to grow without the economy coming to a complete halt even during the pandemic. We are confident that Dave's leadership of our global change and results delivery practice will provide strong support to executives in Japan as they navigate the difficult times with and post Covid-19.”  “Dave's diverse and global insight will be invaluable not only to Japan, but also to the entire Asia Pacific region which is going through rapid transformation," added Satish Shankar, Bain & Company’s APAC Regional Managing Partner.

Dave Michels is the global leader of our Change and Results Delivery practice and a senior transformation coach, based in Tokyo.

Dave joined Bain over 25 years ago and has worked with a wide variety of organizations, leading large-scale programs on topics including operating model, growth strategy, commercial business model development, culture change and team effectiveness, as well as operational improvement. He is known for his ability to inspire executives and their teams and roll up his sleeves to help them deliver sustained results. His approach to co-creating pragmatic solutions combines insight-rich analytics, leadership coaching and delivery risk mitigation to address the what, who and how of change.

Dave's work has spanned a range of industries, including healthcare, industrials, consumer products, retail, financial services, private equity, and high technology. He is a frequent author and speaker on leadership, transformation, and change.

As a dual U.S.-Swiss citizen, he brings a global perspective to his clients by way of his experience across multiple geographies. He has previously lived and worked in the United States, Argentina, Germany, India and Switzerland.

Dave earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and is a graduate of Duke University, from which he received a B.A. in Economics and International Relations.

Editor's Note: To arrange an interview, contact Yukiko Nishi at yukiko.nishi@bain.com or 090 5312 3187.

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