Hands-on market-entry experience
Around 15 years or more of business development, sales or regulatory work in a specific country and industry. You can explain its business practices and decision structures in your own words.
PARTNERS | Ongoing recruitment
Local partners, selected and welcomed on an ongoing basis
In Europe, North America and Asia, we select people who can move market entry forward on the ground: Japanese companies going abroad, and foreign companies entering Japan. We work project by project with partners who bring industry and country expertise and a real network.
WHY PARTNERS
Local business practice and networks that no single hire can reach
Market entry is decided by understanding the product, and by local business practice and relationships. REM assembles partners with country and industry expertise for each project, and they work as members of the client's team, under the client's business card.
Since 2020 we have run more than 60 projects between Japan and Europe, North America, the CIS and Asia, and helped five companies set up local subsidiaries. To widen that circle, we recruit partners on an ongoing basis.
WHO WE LOOK FOR
The partners we look for
A network that reaches decision makers
Relationships that let you meet the decision makers directly, not only through introductions: industry bodies, large companies, government, embassies.
A connection with Japan
Experience with Japanese companies or the Japanese market, and the ability to have candid conversations with clients in Japanese or English.
REGIONS & FIELDS
Regions and fields we are looking for now
Other regions and industries are welcome at any time.
North America
Life sciences, medical devices, energy, IoT. Access to large US companies, hospitals and public institutions.
Europe
Manufacturing, mobility, energy, regulation and certification (MDR, CE). Germany, the UK, the Nordics, the Iberian Peninsula.
Asia and the Middle East
Logistics, IoT, infrastructure, retail. Deep knowledge of business practice in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and the Gulf.
Japan
People who move foreign companies' Japan entry forward on the ground: access to procurement and business development at large companies, trading houses and local governments.
SELECTION
The selection: apply → interview → trial project → partner agreement
From application to agreement usually takes one to two months. Every step is online.
STEP 01
Apply
- Use the contact form: country, industry, years of experience and your availability
- We reply within 1-2 business days
STEP 02
Interview
- 60 minutes online with Ken Wada, CEO
- We go through how you ran past projects, and the reality of your network
STEP 03
Trial project
- One real project, run together as part of the REM team (paid)
- We look at the quality of meeting records and reporting
STEP 04
Partner agreement
- A project-based contractor agreement and an NDA
- Your name and background are disclosed to clients at the first meeting
ROLE
How partners work
Project by project, as a contractor
Not employment: you join per project, and the workload is agreed per project. Several projects in parallel are fine.
Under the client's business card
As part of the REM team you meet local counterparts under the client's business card, and record reactions, conditions and reasons for refusal.
Paid for work and results
Per project, a fee for your time plus a success fee tied to the progress of meetings, partnerships and contracts.
CURRENT PARTNERS
Current partners (examples)
Names are disclosed to clients at the first meeting.
Industry and regional specialists
- US pharma and life sciences, 20+ years (R&D, strategy, global projects)
- European market entry, 25+ years (former trading house, posted in Europe)
- North American market entry, 17+ years (former head of a US manufacturer)
- Regulation and certification, 15+ years (former notified body, MDR)
- Medical device BD, 30+ years (former major device distributor)
- Energy, 18+ years (former utility, new business)
- Mobility, 22+ years (former automotive OEM)
- International PjM, 12+ years (former global consultancy)
Project lead: Ken Wada, CEO
- Nippon Express and MUFG Bank Europe (Germany), then founded REM in 2020
- Five local subsidiaries set up from zero in six years
- Advisor to the City of Kobe; ITC consultant
- Japanese, English, German
Apply through the contact form
Choose "Partner application" as the subject and tell us your country, industry, years of experience and availability. We reply within 1-2 business days.