About Me

With thirty years’ business experience, my clients praise my insights which stem from a balance of:

well-rounded knowledge with curiosity
creative flair with pragmatism
calm presence with dynamic energy

I am a non-conformist seeking to transform people’s working lives and businesses. I inspire trust that I will do the right thing and to the highest quality standards because I care deeply about helping others to Improve their effectiveness at individual and organisational levels.

If you'd like to meet me virtually, navigate to the Contact page for recent videos.

What drives me to embrace change?

Sam Gavins Photography

A Multi-Cultural Global Nomad

Growing up as Japanese-Scandinavian in Minnesota, it took time to appreciate my unique identity. I have sought opportunities to expand my multi-cultural lens, which led to career moves to Japan, Switzerland and U.K. working in global organisations.

As a result, I can help others to articulate their uniqueness, work effectively in multi-cultural environments and embrace change to achieve their potential or improve performance.

This poem has guided my life :

'Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference"

Excerpt from "The Road Less Taken" by Robert Frost

A Career in Change

My career extends from holding senior roles leading strategy, restructuring and comprehensive redesign in the shipping industry to dedicating over two decades advising change with clients globally across diverse sectors.

The clients have varied, with change coming from the external environment or due to internal strategic imperatives, but the most challenging factor that we tend to overlook is that change is an emotional process.

View my chronological professional history

Sam Gavins Photography

A Curious and Lifelong Learner

As an experiential learner, I enjoy new experiences and seek ways to enhance my knowledge. Here is a summary of my adventures in academic study:

An MBA equipped me with management tools
Business Psychology MSc provided evidenced-based insight on people at work
Executive Coaching Diploma honed my listening and intuition skills
Research on female entrepreneurs in Blockchain and Cryptocurrency to gain insight into the experiences of pioneers in a newly emerging industry
A variety of psychometric certifications helped me to deeply understand others

Outside of work, I use yoga, surfing and reading to inspire me while reminding me that I remain a humble learner.

View my chronological professional history

A Part of My DNA

Change is a personal thing for me.

My name, Akimoto, means "beginning of autumn" - a season of change. I often joke that in order to find stimulation, I need constant change in my own life. Routines and status quo have no place for me, but I’ve also learned that if we move too quickly, we may not appreciate the beauty in the detail.

My aim at work and personally is to balance a desire for change with patient pacing to take others with me.