Global Women Leaders: TIB Lounge is a small-group roundtable at Tokyo Innovation Base that pairs an experienced woman leader, called the Lead Sister, with women who are running a business or actively working toward starting one. The format is a seated conversation rather than a talk, covering career choices, entrepreneurship, team building, working with diverse people, and what leadership looks like in practice.
This session's Lead Sister is Helen Iwata, a bilingual leadership and communication coach and president of Sasuga Communications K.K. Originally from the UK, she has built a 35-year career in Japan, including 10 years at McKinsey & Company as Manager of Client Communications, coaching consultants and clients on leadership, communication, and high-stakes presentations. Since founding her own firm in 2013 she has designed leadership development programs for multinational organizations across the APAC region. She is also a TEDx coach and speaker, a Nikkei Online columnist, and the author of Eigo no Shigoto-jutsu.
The discussion covers leading and communicating with confidence in global business roles, building an independent practice with multinational clients across APAC, and staying true to yourself while stepping into bigger leadership roles. Attendance is free but limited to women of any nationality, requires advance registration, and entry to the venue requires TIB app membership and a QR code.
About the community
A recurring roundtable series for women in Tokyo's startup community, held in small groups so that everyone at the table can speak. Each session invites one experienced woman founder or executive, called a Lead Sister, who shares her own path and takes real questions on career choices, entrepreneurship, team building, and leadership. The regulars are women already running a business, women turning their expertise or sense of purpose into a service, and women who want to keep building a career of their own through life's transitions. The tone favors honest, human-scale conversation over polished answers: the stated goal is to leave with a new perspective rather than a correct one. Sessions are free, held in person, and capped in size.
