Allan Watanabe “The Advantages of Diversity & Inclusion in Business”  Watch Video Being seen as a foreigner — for his entire life. Shin-Nisei Allan Watanabe illustrates that being seen as a foreigner can be a disadvantage until you turn that into a vantage point.  His experiences since childhood of being treated as a foreigner brewed his entrepreneurial spirit to venture into new businesses and countries. Listen to how Allan turned his “foreign mentality” into his advantage to run his businesses by venturing into new, uncharted territories. Presentation Outline and Highlights “Blondie” -- Born and raised as a Shin-Nisei in LA Felt 100% Asian: Went to Japanese school and also grew up in a diverse environment His mother’s traditional bento boxes and him being connected to his Japanese identity His family was also diverse in terms of occupation and race Entrepreneurial Journey in Japan Post-college, he wanted to explore career options -- packed a backpack to fly into Japan His 外人 looks despite his fluent Japanese led to being seen as a foreigner in Japan Came with advantages and disadvantages Venturing into the IT field for his career Foreign mentality helped him venture into a new field Founded his consulting company to help US companies enter the Japanese market The business initially went well until it ran out of cash flow The toughest time in his life and learned that balance and focus are key Finding a New Path in Bangladesh Got many talented IT engineers in Bangladesh and started a new company in 2018 Still seen as a foreigner here too but he is using that mentality in positive ways Speaker Biography Allan Watanabe is originally from Los Angeles, California and currently lives in Tokyo, Japan.  He is grateful to have met his perpetually supportive wife and feels blessed for his two vibrant children.  His parents living in Raleigh, NC are originally from Hokkaido and Yokohama and are currently wondering when/if their son will return to the US.  Allan Watanabe is the Founder and CEO of PIPELINE, a cybersecurity intelligence company helping to protect businesses in JAPAC.  With over 20 years of experience working in the IT industry, he is currently working with Telecom Carriers, Government entities, and Universities across Asia to help protect their networks from growing cyber-attacks.  He has held roles in both technical and business functions such as technical support, data architecture, technical sales, country manager, and considers himself a passionate multi-preneur.