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OUTLINE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

TEAM MEMBERS

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  Koji Nakasaka COO (Chief Operating Officer)

  Researching forest fires in Mongolia sparked a deep conviction that business could — and should — solve social and environmental challenges. After three years at a trading company, Koji left to live and work on an organic farm in Japan, then took that hands-on experience to Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Along the way Koji worked with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ghana, promoting bio-inoculants in the field. Following roles in international development and smart agriculture, he joined Ac-Planta as COO to contribute to a sustainable global society. Koji holds an MSc in Organic Agriculture from Wageningen University.

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  Ian Lawson Davis CLO (Chief Legal Officer)/Business Strategist

  With over 15 years of legal experience, Ian has assisted with a broad range of domestic and international corporate and commercial matters for Japanese law firms and companies, and has served as legal advisor to several African embassies in Japan. Ian now brings that expertise to Ac-Planta as Cheif Legal Officer and Business Development Strategist. A member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, Ian holds an LLM from the University of Leeds and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2004.

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  Shinichi Sato Business Administrative

  After starting his career as a CPA at a major accounting firm, Sato moved into industry as Accounting Manager at a Mothers-listed IT company, where he took on a broad range of responsibilities spanning accounting, investor relations, and legal affairs. He then joined a consulting firm focused on business process improvement and system implementation in accounting and administrative operations. At Ac-Planta, Sato oversees all back-office functions including accounting, general affairs, and personnel and labor management. He holds a degree in Commerce from Chuo University.

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  Tomokazu Koshiba Guest Researcher

  Tomo built his career at Tokyo Metropolitan University, rising to full professor while researching plant hormones and stress responses, with international collaborations at Washington University in St. Louis, France’s INRA, and the University of Bonn. Now Emeritus Professor, he joined Ac-Planta as Special Researcher, drawn by the scientific evidence that acetic acid improves plant resilience to drought and heat — and its potential to address environmental challenges at a global scale. He holds a B.S. in Botany from Hokkaido University and a Ph.D. in Science from Tokyo Metropolitan University.

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  Koichiro Tachibana Head of Business Development (Americas)

  After nine years in grain trading at a major Japanese trading house — including a US posting focused on North American imports — Koichiro joined Ac-Planta in 2024 to lead commercial expansion across the Americas, bringing growers and research partners into the Skeepon program. A believer in moving fast and learning from the field, Koichiro is actively on the ground across the United States, opening up new business opportunities from California to the Midwest. Holds an MBA from the University of Michigan.

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  Aiko Kaminishi R&D

  Aiko spent her career at the Kanagawa Prefecture Agricultural Technology Center, working across research, extension, and administration — developing low-pungency onion varieties, studying spinach component variations, advancing plant tissue culture for eggplant breeding, intergeneric breeding of cruciferous vegetable and providing hands-on technical guidance to farmers. Guided by her mentor’s philosophy that the most valuable research lies where others aren’t looking, Aiko joined Ac-Planta’s R&D team, bringing a rare depth of experience from the laboratory to the field. She holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Science from Chiba University and a Master’s from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.

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  Risaku Hirai R&D

  Fascinated since middle school by how plants adapt to their environment despite being unable to move, Risaku pursued a research career focused on plant vascular systems and programmed cell death. After completing his doctorate, he spent four years as a postdoctoral researcher at VIB-UGent in Belgium studying cell death mechanisms in root development. Seeking to connect his research to real-world impact, Risaku joined Ac-Planta’s R&D team, where he investigates how acetic acid induces drought tolerance in plants. He holds a Ph.D. from Nara Institute of Science and Technology and a B.S. in Engineering Science from Tokyo University of Science.

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  Quyen Tran R&D

  After completing her doctorate, Quyen lectured at a Vietnamese national university where she joined to establish its environmental studies department, before returning to Japan for five years of postdoctoral research at Institute of Science Tokyo, focusing on microbial analysis and composting applications using next-generation sequencing. She joined Ac-Planta’s R&D team in 2025, where she investigates how plants respond to drought and heat stress at the RNA level — studying gene activation in plants treated with Skeepon. She also completed an innovation leadership program through the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering. Quyen holds a Ph.D. from Institute of Science Tokyo.

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  Keiko Sakiyama Technical Staff

  After three years in skincare product development at a cosmetics company, Keiko spent seven years supporting research across two university laboratories, building a deep foundation in hands-on experimental work. She joined Ac-Planta in 2024 as a part-time staff member and transitioned to a full-time role in 2025, where she oversees the maintenance of cultivation and experimental environments and supports the company’s research operations. Holds a Master’s degree from Fukui Prefectural University, with a specialization in biological resources.