Group Mentoring Program

Japan Society launched the Group Mentoring Program in 2023 as part of its U.S.-Japan Women Leaders Initiative, aimed at accelerating the professional development of working women in the U.S.-Japan space. Through the Group Mentoring Program, participants will have the opportunity to learn together from mentors who will foster collaboration and community among the mentees while imparting skills and knowledge that will facilitate opportunities for their professional advancement.

Program Duration

The Group Mentoring Program will run for a duration of approximately 6 months, starting from January 2025 and ending in June 2025.

Program Curriculum

As participants in the Group Mentoring Program, mentees will be expected to fulfill the following requirements:

• Attendance at Major Events organized under the U.S.-Japan Women Leaders Initiative. Mentees are encouraged to attend as many of these events as possible.
• Attendance at mentorship sessions is mandatory. Mentors and mentees will be meeting in a group (rather than in pairs) once a month and will alternate between virtual and in-person meetings. Each meeting will be an hour long.
• Mentees are expected to respond to Japan Society’s questionnaires and surveys in a timely and thorough manner. These questionnaires and surveys are mandatory.

Call for Mentee Nominations

This program will target mid-career professional women in the New York metropolitan area, particularly experienced and highly competent women who have a strong desire to further their professional journey. To be eligible for this program, their employer must hold corporate membership with Japan Society. These individuals may be employed for either Japanese or American companies.

If your company is interested in nominating a candidate as a mentee, kindly email Japan Society’s Business & Policy Forum at [email protected]. Nominations must be submitted by November 15, 2024. To ensure a complete nomination, please include the participant’s full name, position title, email address, and brief bio (one paragraph in narrative form).

Please note that space is limited, and there may be a possibility that not all nominees can participate in this year’s program. However, we value all nominations and will strive to accommodate as many candidates as possible.

About the Mentors

Japan Society has meticulously chosen a group of mentors who are committed to fostering women’s empowerment within the U.S.-Japan workplace. These mentors possess exceptional proficiency, knowledge, and expertise in their respective professions, and we are confident in their ability to provide valuable guidance to mid-career professionals seeking to advance their careers. Please find below the mentors for this year’s program.

Stephanie Bowker (Managing Director & General Manager, Co-Head of Corporate & Investment Banking Coverage, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation)
Stephanie Bowker is the Co-Head of Corporate & Investment Banking Coverage (CIBC) at SMBC, having been appointed to this position in April 2024. Prior to this, she was Deputy Head of the Corporate and Investment Bank and Head of the Autos, Transportation & Mobility Group. She joined SMBC in February 2020 and is responsible for a broad array of clients. Prior to joining SMBC, Stephanie was a Managing Director within the Corporate and Investment Bank at Citi. During her 13-year career there, she was the primary relationship manager for a broad portfolio of auto and related companies and had global responsibility for the auto credit portfolio. Stephanie received her Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her MBA from Georgetown University. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

Miyoko Demay (Outside Director, Member of the Board, Nintendo; Former President, Tiffany & Co. Japan; Vice Chair, Women in Business Committee, American Chamber of Commerce in Japan; Demay Luxury Consulting)
Demay is a seasoned global executive with a distinguished 30-year career at Tiffany & Co., one of America’s most iconic institutions and a world-renowned jeweler. During her tenure, she held key leadership roles at the company’s New York headquarters and across international markets. As President of Tiffany Japan and Vice President of Global Sales Operations, among other roles, she led transformative initiatives, building high-performing teams and comprehensive 360º strategies that redefined the client journey. Her efforts encompassed retail operations, clienteling, visual presentation, merchandising, and omnichannel growth, driving innovation and excellence across the brand’s more than 350 global stores. Demay currently serves as an Outside Director and Board Member at Nintendo Co., Ltd., headquartered in Kyoto, and as an Advisor to Japan Airport Terminal Building Co., Ltd., a company specializing in the construction, management, and operation of passenger terminals at Haneda Airport. Demay was awarded the prestigious Dame Chevalier status from the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne, the 300-year-old official guild representing the champagne industry.

Frances Green (Of Counsel, Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.)
Drawing upon decades of experience as a trial lawyer and trusted counselor, Fran Green counsels global clients on navigating the complexities of workforce management, cybersecurity, and data privacy laws, as well as the opportunities and legal risks presented by the design and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in consumer tools and within the employment life cycle. She advises clients in a broad range of industries, including finance, retail, manufacturing, and consumer goods. As an AI Governance Professional certified through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), Fran assists clients as they integrate AI in consumer-facing operations and augment the skills of their workforces. She is committed to ensuring safety and trust in the development and deployment of ethical AI and the ongoing management of AI systems. Fran utilizes her advanced legal degree in Cybersecurity and Data Privacy as a featured contributor on disruptive technologies for ALM’s New York Law Journal and is privileged to be a working group member of the AI Safety Institute Consortium of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The U.S. AI Safety Institute (AISI), located within the U.S. Department of Commerce at NIST, was established following the 2023 presidential Executive Order 14110, the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. AISI is tasked with developing the testing, evaluations, and guidelines that will help accelerate safe AI innovation in the United States and around the world. Fran is a member of the New York State Bar Association’s AI & Emerging Technologies Committee. To read her complete bio, click here.

Keishi Hotsuki (Senior Advisor/Former Chief Risk Officer, Morgan Stanley)
Keishi Hotsuki is a Senior Advisor at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Hotsuki was the Chief Risk Officer of Morgan Stanley from 2011 to 2023 after he joined the firm in 2008 as the Head of Market Risk Management. Mr. Hotsuki began his career at Fuji Bank in 1984, where he worked primarily in the Fixed Income Trading Division. From 1993 to 1999, Mr. Hotsuki worked at Bankers Trust as the Head of Market Risk Management Japan/Asia. Mr. Hotsuki joined Merrill Lynch in 1999 as the Head of Market Risk Management for the Japan/Asia Pacific Region and was the Global Head of Market Risk Management from 2005 to 2007. Mr. Hotsuki holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Hitotsubashi University and a Masters of Science in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University. Mr. Hotsuki is a Board Member of Japan Society. He is also an advisory Board Member of four university institutes; Tepper School of Business and Master of Computation Finance at Carnegie Mellon, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University and the New York University Stern Volatility and Risk Institute’s (VRI).

Past Groups

• 2023-2024 Group Mentoring Program