About Us

Sam has over 15 years experience working in market research in Japan. After finishing a degree in Japanese & International Business at QUT in Brisbane, Australia in 1999, he came to Tokyo to continue on studying Japanese until he started working in marketing.

Sam has worked extensively with multinational brands on market research projects in a wide range of categories including entertainment, health and beauty, automotive, IT hardware and software, travel and leisure, food & beverage and several other categories.

Andrew came to Japan just over 10 years ago all the way from Upstate New York. After completing a double major in Philosophy and Political Science he thought he’d then take up Japanese which he has become quite proficient in. When he does have free-time he loves the outdoors and is often away camping, hiking, and rafting in the Japanese Alps.

Aki is a consultant at Aqua Insights Japan and she handles project management and is also one of our Gen Z moderators – able to tap into the mindset and build rapport with this younger audience . She graduated with a degree in law and has a great interest in understanding Japanese consumer behavior and interpreting this for our international clients. Aki loves to socialize with friends, hike, and also go cycling from time to time with friends.

Damian has been in Japan for over 15 years, originally from Ohio in the US. He studied a Bachelor of Business and after graduating spent quite a few years studying French in Lyon, France. Which is ironic given he ended up in Japan, but he is a keen linguist and now speaks quite a good level of Japanese. When not working, Damian loves traveling the world, SCUBA diving, hanging out at the beach, and has a passion for cooking unique foods often spicy as hell! Damian is one of our project managers, but is also quite tech savy so is often setting up all of the on-site tech equipment along with our online interviews

Chiyo is an Aqua Insights consultant who spends a lot of time doing translations, project management, and handles a lot of our background research for studies the findings which you will find in our reports in the Contextual Background section. Chiyo is well travelled and has lived in the US, UK, and Germany – at one stage working at Disneyland as a parade character! She is fluent in Japanese and English and is currently trying to master the German language.

Haruyo started her career moderating with P&G and now conducts over 100 focus groups and interviews per year. Her experience is broad in many categories including FMCG, health and beauty, food & beverage, IT, entertainment, fashion, amongst many more. She is bilingual in both English and Japanese and is very popular amongst our clients not only for her bright and cheerful personality, but also the deep insight she is able to draw out whether it be in focus groups, IDIs, or in-home interviews.

Natsumi is a junior consultant at Aqua Insights Japan and is always busy discussing respondent specs with recruiters, setting up online interviews, and helping to manage projects. She graduated with a degree in Fine Arts so it’s not surprising she spends her time visiting Art Museums both within Japan and overseas.

She also loves eating out with friends and trying new restaurants!

Mayo went to Saitama University where she studied Liberal Arts majoring in American and European society and politics. She has spent time living abroad in Sydney, Australia where she enjoyed beach life and quite a few Aussie barbies while working in the education sector. While travel is one of Mayo’s main interests, she also loves attending comedy events both Japanese and Western so has a good grasp of all the nuances within both Western and Japanese cultures. Prior to working with Aqua Insights Mayo worked in Cosmetics and also Tourism, managing a portfolio of inbound tours throughout Japan and introducing Japanese culture to the world.

Shiori is a Junior Consultant at Aqua Insights Japan and involves herself in a number of tasks including recruitment, translations of screeners and guides and general project co-ordination. She studied in the United States for several years and graduated with a degree in Business Marketing. Outside of work Shiori likes to socialize with friends and check out many of the trendy cafes and restaurants around Tokyo. She also loves to head out shopping whenever she gets a chance in Omotesando, Ginza, and Shibuya – especially when the sales are on!

Meiga is one of our junior consultants and is currently engaged in recruitment, project management, and helping run many of our OBBs. Meiga studied law and politics at University and prior to starting at Aqua Insights worked in the finance sector. Meiga was born to a Thai father and Japanese mother so is fluent in Japanese, Thai, and English. In his free time Meiga loves watching movies, singing karaoke, and reading. Nice to meet you! Yoroshiku! Sawatdee Khrap!

Michiko is our lead field work co-ordinator and is a pleasure to work with. She is a ball of energy at field work, busy greeting respondents, setting up the interview room, taking care of the catering, and taking Starbucks orders. When she is away from work she loves the quiet life visiting small towns in the Japanese countryside and trying all the local delicacies.