FOUNDER & OPERATIONS PARTNER

Erika Terada brings over a decade of operational excellence to KurotoPartner, with proven expertise in building and scaling business processes from the ground up.

As our Operations Partner, she leverages her exceptional organizational skills and strategic approach to ensure the seamless functioning of our firm's day-to-day operations.

During her tenure at ICM Japan, Erika demonstrated remarkable leadership by transforming the company's Shipping department from inception to a fully-operational team of 4 professionals. Beginning as the sole contributor, she quickly rose from Administrator to Section Manager, showcasing her ability to identify operational inefficiencies and implement effective solutions.

Bilingual in Japanese & English, Erika is able to communicate with our diverse client base and enhances our ability to serve international technology companies expanding in the Japanese market.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Successfully scaled an Operations division from 0 to 4 fully-independent members
• Successfully improved inefficient operations for a traditional Japanese organization
• Built/maintained strong relationship with shipping partners, leading to being #1 priority client
• Built a team that had 0 turnover for over 8 years

LANGUAGES:
• English
• Japanese

PARTNER, EXECUTIVE SEARCH

David Nam brings 13+ years of Executive Search experience to KurotoPartner, with a distinguished track record of placing senior leadership talent at international technology companies across Japan.

As the Partner of Executive Search at KurotoPartner, David embodies the firm's commitment to Professionalism, Honesty, and Quality-focused executive search.

Throughout his career at recruitment firms including Hays, SoftSource, and TM Agency, David has consistently ranked as a top performer, achieving recognition as the Top Biller at multiple Japan-based recruitment firms. His success stems from a methodical approach to Executive Search that prioritizes precision over volume — introducing an average of just 5 candidates per role; an average Placement Hit Rate of 20% per introduction.

David's expertise lies in identifying and securing executive talent for technology companies entering or expanding in the Japanese market. His portfolio of successful placements includes Country Managers, Heads of Pre-sales/ Post-sales, Engineering Leaders, and other critical leadership roles at leading American and international technology firms.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Top Biller in multiple Japanese headhunting firms
• Placed over 150 Executive-level, bilingual candidates in Japan market
• Over 13 years’ experience in Japan market, specific to gaishikei Tech industry

LANGUAGES:
• English
• Japanese
• Korean