Shinichi IKAWA
CEO| Management, Business & Organizational Transformation Partner
After graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, Shinichi Ikawa joined Japan’s Ministry of Defense as a career-track official, working on Japan-U.S. defense cooperation, international policy, defense budgeting, equipment policy, and new project development. While serving in government, he earned a master’s degree in international security policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and later worked at the Australian Department of Defence as the first personnel exchange representative from the Government of Japan.
He subsequently moved into the private sector to take direct responsibility for business outcomes. At Open House Group, he worked across sales planning, organizational restructuring, business development, new business launches, and subsidiary corporate planning. He then held leadership roles including founding member and COO of a growth company, corporate planning for a domestic investment group, director of portfolio companies, and General Director of a Vietnam-based IT subsidiary.
Across these roles, he has led hands-on transformation spanning new business creation, P/L and KPI management, organization design, hiring, evaluation and compensation systems, HR operations, governance, business processes, CRM and HRIS implementation, and PMI. His strength lies in translating management decisions into practical structures, workflows, systems, and operating rules that take root in the organization.
He founded GCI in 2023. At GCI, he approaches talent challenges and business challenges as one integrated growth system. He supports companies across strategy, organization, hiring, talent development, governance, AI, knowledge management, and operating systems, while also supporting individuals beyond job matching and interview preparation through career strategy, selection processes, decision-making, and post-entry success.
His belief is to go beyond concepts and advice, turning the potential of individuals and organizations into tangible, repeatable outcomes.
Expertise
Management and Business Strategy
- Growth strategy and business portfolio design
- New business concept development, business planning, launch, and commercialization
- P/L, KGI, and KPI design, budgeting, and performance management
- Design of business execution structures, roles and responsibilities, authority, and management forums
- Alliance and partnership strategy
- Japan market entry and organizational setup for international companies
Organization and Talent Strategy
- Organization design, role definition, and talent portfolio design
- Executive and critical-position hiring
- Recruitment strategy, role requirements, and selection and evaluation design
- Job grading, performance evaluation, compensation, and promotion systems
- Manager development, 1-on-1 implementation, and onboarding
- Talent retention and performance enablement
AI, Knowledge, and Operating Systems
- Business process decomposition, standardization, and SOP / playbook development
- KPI and management dashboard design
- CRM, HRIS, and project management infrastructure
- Advanced use of AI in recruitment, sales, and management operations
- Knowledge base development from tacit organizational knowledge
- Operating model design for lean, high-productivity organizations
Languages
English, Japanese
Career
・Global Career Incubator (2023, Co-Founder / Chief Executive Officer)
・Investment Fund（2023, Group Corporate Planning Manager, Director at group companies)
・Tokyo Label（2020-2023, Board Director）
・Open House（2016-2020, Acting Manager）
・Japan Ministry of Defense（2009-2016, Deputy Director）
Education
Columbia University (Master’s degree, 2015)
University of Tokyo (Bachelor’s degree, 2009)