Hakuhodo Japan’s creative director Kentaro Ichiki selected as 2014 WEF Young Global Leader

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WEF.jpgKentaro Ichiki, Hakuhodo Creative Director and Editor in Chief of “Kohkoku” Magazine published by Hakuhodo, has been selected as a 2014 Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum.

The Forum of Young Global Leaders is a community of next-generation global leaders selected and awarded each year for professional achievement, commitment to society, and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

This year’s 214 YGLs represent 66 countries and were selected from over 2000 candidates by a selection committee comprised of noted international leaders in the fields of economy, government, and media. Ichiki is among 7 YGLs selected from Japan. As a whole, this year’s YGLs equally represent public and private sectors including academia, arts and culture, social entrepreneurship, government, media, and nonprofit.

Ichiki said, “It is an honour to be selected as a YGL. Creativity in the advertising industry has been evolving for decades, challenging the border between emotional and rational. Now it is time to apply this mindset to the whole of society. I am pleased to serve as a bridge between art and science, marketing and design, and technology and emotion, to discover new ways of

storytelling for the world.

View the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders Class of 2014 here.

View the List of 2014 Young Global Leader Honourees here.

Ichiki is known as a champion of growing brands from diverse industries including automobile, telecommunications, electronics, entertainment, cosmetics, dining, and education. His approach is unique in the way he converts corporate strategy directly into creative works such as film, media, and new product development.

As Editor in Chief of “Kohkoku”, he explores the horizon “Where Art and Science Fall in Love”. Breaking down boundaries between logic and disruption, rationality and emotion, the old and new, he reveals next-generation forms of creativity not only in the advertising industry, but also in fields such as art, film, architecture, literature, education, and science.

After completing a Bachelor’s Program in Corporate Strategy and Knowledge Creation at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, Kentaro developed his expertise in Fine Arts at University of California, Santa Cruz. He subsequently earned a Master’s Degree in Media Art from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He has served as representative juror from Japan for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2012, as well as for the Asia Pacific Advertising Festival 2012.