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In addition to staff at our Tokyo headquarters, SEGMAR Research maintains a global network of consultants located in China, the EU, USA, Mexico, South Korea, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Brazil, India, Russia, and elsewhere.

This global network enables us to quickly gain a profound understanding of local market dynamics, business cultures, legal systems, supply chains, and other relevant information.

In addition to our network of consultants, we also work with local consumer research firms in different regions.

This combination of consultant-based market analysis with actual consumer research allows us to conduct more integrated research, thereby enhancing the quality of the final product we deliver to clients.

SEGMAR boasts a cadre of experienced, multilingual, international professionals, who work in close cooperation with our partners worldwide to deliver services that meet high global standards.

Our Tokyo Office

Ivan CardenasPresident

Born in Lima, Peru, Ivan Cardenas holds an MA in International Development from the University of Nagoya. His experience in market and industry research spans service at the Embassy of Spain in Tokyo, the Embassy of Japan in Chile, the Consulate General of Japan in Miami, and at the Tokyo Office of Enterprise Florida. Prior to SEGMAR Research, he was a Senior Consultant at our predecessor, Promar, where he conducted research on over 50 countries, including field research in over 20. His work focuses on analyzing different elements of trade relations between Japan and Latin America, and Spain, as well as on promotional activities for food products. He is a native speaker of Spanish and Japanese and is also fluent in English.

Junko HayashidaPromotion Manager

A graduate of Sophia University, Junko Hayashida joined SEGMAR Research after experiences that span the Embassy of Argentina in Japan and the Cataluna Trade and Investment Office in Japan and Promar Consulting. Her main responsibilities have ranged from market research on agricultural products and other commodities to coordinating promotions and business meetings between industry organizations and the Japanese Government. Over seven years at Promar, Ms. Hayashida coordinated promotions for overseas industry organizations, including the promotion for Mexican pork in Japan, and led a number of survey and research projects that helped cement her Latin America expertise, particularly on Mexico and Argentina. In addition to Japanese, her native language, Ms. Hayashida is fluent in Spanish and English.

Mari UemaConsultant

Mari Uema holds a bachelor's degree from Augsburg University with a major in economics and minors in Mathematics and International Relations. She worked for the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and Promar before joining the SEGMAR Research team. Ms. Uema has been in charge of research leading to reports for a government organization on overseas sugar industries (Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, etc.) as well as on supply and demand trends in overseas livestock industries. She has also conducted research in other areas such as the pork check-off system, the milk and dairy product markets in France and the U.S., and the supply and demand of grains in the EU. She is particularly adept at information gathering, field research and report writing. In addition to her native Japanese, Ms. Uema is fluent in English.

Kevin MeekResearch Analyst

Originally from Jamaica, Kevin Meek is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and holds a Master's degree in International Studies from the University of Chile. Prior to moving to Japan, Mr. Meek worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Jamaica. He has lived in Japan since 2003, spending his first three years as a high school English teacher with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme before moving into advisory and coordinator capacities at the prefectural and national levels, respectively. He subsequently spent seven years as Corporate Communications Specialist and HR Trainer at Mitsubishi Corporation and over two years as Senior Event Coordination at Aichi International Exhibition Center, Japan's fourth largest events venue. He is a native English speaker with high levels of proficiency in Spanish and Japanese.

Rie YoshidaAdviser

Rie Yoshida’s background includes experience as an Account Executive at Burson-Marsteller, one of the world’s top PR firms, and as Market Research Manager at food products specialists Pro Global Inc. She became Promar Japan’s representative in 1991, later founding and serving as President of a new company, Promar Japan, in 2000. Having accumulated a breath of knowledge from the range of national and international clients served over the years, Ms. Yoshida now serves SEGMAR Research in the capacity of adviser, overseeing corporate strategy and overall project flow.