By Sheldon Baker11.11.21
Charlie Kotani is president of Japan-based Charlie K Consulting. Most recently he served as president of Kyowa Kirin Asia Pacific in Singapore as well as executive officer of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. in Japan. Previously, he was president and CEO of Kyowa Hakko Bio. Overall, he was an executive officer of the Kyowa/Kirin family for 37 years. Forming his consulting business in 2020, he brings a wide range of strategic planning, sales, and marketing skills working with global companies in pharma, nutraceuticals, and life sciences. His forte is helping companies solve complex challenges and decisions facing their organization.
Health E-Insights: You had a distinguished career with Kyowa Hakko. Why did you decide to start your consulting firm?
Kotani: I actually have had several careers. First the pharmaceutical industry for 17 years. Then a global move to nutraceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) business for 17 years during my affiliation with Kyowa Hakko Kogyo, Kyowa Hakko Bio, and Kyowa Kirin. I felt my mission was firmly completed on the last day of my tenure with Kyowa Hakko and it was time to transition from a large corporate conglomerate. However, I have always had a passion to contribute and connect with a wide range of companies and share my corporate experience. That is why I launched Charlie K Consulting.
Health E-Insights: What expertise do you offer your clients?
Kotani: Strategic and management consulting, and advisory services in the life science arena, pharmaceutical, API, dietary supplements, and sports nutrition are at the top of our consulting list. Helping companies develop their in-bound and out-bound strategies to expand their business to and from Japan and Asia-Pacific. If you need business consulting as it relates to nutraceutical and pharma in this part of the world, contact me. On the pharmaceutical side, I have launched and managed start-up companies. I have provided research and marketing for pharmaceutical products and API. I have also had the opportunity to contribute similar roles for nutraceutical companies especially in the sports nutrition, brain research, and immune categories.
Health E-Insights: Based in Japan, do you consult with global companies?
Kotani: Yes. I have several active channels both in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. There are numerous opportunities to assist companies expand their business globally.
Health E-Insights: What type of clients do you prefer to consult for?
Kotani: I have been working with small to midsize companies. They have been science-oriented holding leading technology and patents. These are companies that do not have the expertise and, in some cases, little resources about how to market their specialty products to and from Japan and the Asia Pacific.
Health E-Insights: What trends, if any, are you seeing in the nutraceutical industry?
Kotani: Without a doubt brain nutrition and immunity products, as well as a greater amount of research being conducted in these areas. The aging world population, including the Japanese community in my country, have created a need to broaden and further research to help find advanced health and wellness solutions. Other areas of ingredient trends are sports nutrition combining amino acids with other specialty ingredients, pro- and prebiotics and ingredients based on fermentation.
Health E-Insights: Where do you see the most growth taking place in the nutraceutical industry?
Kotani: Another no doubt answer. It is the U.S. and China. But also, Europe, most notably Italy and Spain. According to a Grand View Research report, the global nutraceutical market was expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.3% from 2020 to 2027 to reach $722.5 billion by 2027. In addition to brain health and immunity products, rising awareness regarding calorie reduction and weight loss in such countries as the U.S., China, and India, is expected to promote the application of nutraceuticals, which, in turn, will have a substantial impact on the industry growth.
Health E-Insights: You have much experience with the success that ingredient branding has brought to companies.
Kotani: Indeed. Branding brings partner, customer and consumer value and reliability for the life of a product. I was with Kyowa Hakko when we launched Cognizin and Setria, among others, and those have become long-time leading nutraceutical category brands. Ingredient branding can also help create awareness for a company. It helped Kyowa Hakko USA generate a huge amount of awareness. My opinion of brand development is based on the mutual benefit and sustainability created between both groups. It takes much time to build, but so little and easy to destroy. How to distinguish products based on reliable science data and ingredients, and processes to produce generic or fake products are the forces we have to deal with. We garner so much information through SNS topics. However, it is difficult to know from day-to-day what are the true facts and what is fake. Brand development is one of the great marketing strategies to help develop a road to success.
Health E-Insights: What is the best advice you have ever received and who did it come from?
Kotani: It’s a bible verse, Matthew 7:1-2. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way, you judged others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Another is from the late Steve Jobs when he was with Apple. One of his mottos was, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
Health E-Insights: What do you value most in your daily life?
Kotani: Three things. Love, family, and friends.
Sheldon Baker is chief executive officer of Baker Dillon Group LLC and has created numerous nutraceutical brand marketing communications and public relations campaigns for well-known supplement and food industry companies. For Health E-Insights interview consideration or brand marketing consulting, contact him at SBaker@BakerDillon.com.
Health E-Insights: You had a distinguished career with Kyowa Hakko. Why did you decide to start your consulting firm?
Kotani: I actually have had several careers. First the pharmaceutical industry for 17 years. Then a global move to nutraceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) business for 17 years during my affiliation with Kyowa Hakko Kogyo, Kyowa Hakko Bio, and Kyowa Kirin. I felt my mission was firmly completed on the last day of my tenure with Kyowa Hakko and it was time to transition from a large corporate conglomerate. However, I have always had a passion to contribute and connect with a wide range of companies and share my corporate experience. That is why I launched Charlie K Consulting.
Health E-Insights: What expertise do you offer your clients?
Kotani: Strategic and management consulting, and advisory services in the life science arena, pharmaceutical, API, dietary supplements, and sports nutrition are at the top of our consulting list. Helping companies develop their in-bound and out-bound strategies to expand their business to and from Japan and Asia-Pacific. If you need business consulting as it relates to nutraceutical and pharma in this part of the world, contact me. On the pharmaceutical side, I have launched and managed start-up companies. I have provided research and marketing for pharmaceutical products and API. I have also had the opportunity to contribute similar roles for nutraceutical companies especially in the sports nutrition, brain research, and immune categories.
Health E-Insights: Based in Japan, do you consult with global companies?
Kotani: Yes. I have several active channels both in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. There are numerous opportunities to assist companies expand their business globally.
Health E-Insights: What type of clients do you prefer to consult for?
Kotani: I have been working with small to midsize companies. They have been science-oriented holding leading technology and patents. These are companies that do not have the expertise and, in some cases, little resources about how to market their specialty products to and from Japan and the Asia Pacific.
Health E-Insights: What trends, if any, are you seeing in the nutraceutical industry?
Kotani: Without a doubt brain nutrition and immunity products, as well as a greater amount of research being conducted in these areas. The aging world population, including the Japanese community in my country, have created a need to broaden and further research to help find advanced health and wellness solutions. Other areas of ingredient trends are sports nutrition combining amino acids with other specialty ingredients, pro- and prebiotics and ingredients based on fermentation.
Health E-Insights: Where do you see the most growth taking place in the nutraceutical industry?
Kotani: Another no doubt answer. It is the U.S. and China. But also, Europe, most notably Italy and Spain. According to a Grand View Research report, the global nutraceutical market was expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.3% from 2020 to 2027 to reach $722.5 billion by 2027. In addition to brain health and immunity products, rising awareness regarding calorie reduction and weight loss in such countries as the U.S., China, and India, is expected to promote the application of nutraceuticals, which, in turn, will have a substantial impact on the industry growth.
Health E-Insights: You have much experience with the success that ingredient branding has brought to companies.
Kotani: Indeed. Branding brings partner, customer and consumer value and reliability for the life of a product. I was with Kyowa Hakko when we launched Cognizin and Setria, among others, and those have become long-time leading nutraceutical category brands. Ingredient branding can also help create awareness for a company. It helped Kyowa Hakko USA generate a huge amount of awareness. My opinion of brand development is based on the mutual benefit and sustainability created between both groups. It takes much time to build, but so little and easy to destroy. How to distinguish products based on reliable science data and ingredients, and processes to produce generic or fake products are the forces we have to deal with. We garner so much information through SNS topics. However, it is difficult to know from day-to-day what are the true facts and what is fake. Brand development is one of the great marketing strategies to help develop a road to success.
Health E-Insights: What is the best advice you have ever received and who did it come from?
Kotani: It’s a bible verse, Matthew 7:1-2. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way, you judged others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Another is from the late Steve Jobs when he was with Apple. One of his mottos was, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
Health E-Insights: What do you value most in your daily life?
Kotani: Three things. Love, family, and friends.
Sheldon Baker is chief executive officer of Baker Dillon Group LLC and has created numerous nutraceutical brand marketing communications and public relations campaigns for well-known supplement and food industry companies. For Health E-Insights interview consideration or brand marketing consulting, contact him at SBaker@BakerDillon.com.
