Hiroo Kato

President and CEO with full P&L ownership of a US consumer-products subsidiary of a 50-year-old Japan-based manufacturer, reporting directly to ownership's board. Led the finance, operational restructuring, and multi-year negotiating work that strengthened the company's position ahead of a strategic transaction. Also built a DTC subscription brand from zero within the company, managing cash flow in a constrained environment.

Operates across finance, cash, inventory, supply chain, distribution, compliance, vendors, growth, ecommerce, and people. Turns operating complexity into financial visibility, clear priorities, and accountable execution. Oxford-educated; native English and Japanese.

US President, Chief Executive Officer & Board Member - Fine USA Trading - Santa Ana, CA

(2022-06 - 2026-02)

US operating and distribution subsidiary of a 50-year-old Japan-based consumer products manufacturer and brand. Full P&L ownership with direct reporting to ownership's board.

• Led a three-year effort to strengthen the company's financial and operational position, identifying and resolving supply chain and finance gaps that positioned it for a strategic transaction.
• Negotiated the transaction over multiple years, which brought a new customer base into the business.
• Strengthened liquidity by resolving delayed distributor receivables and inventory issues, reallocating capital, and restructuring customer and vendor terms.
• Reduced warehouse overhead 68% by consolidating fragmented operations into one facility while improving inventory visibility and eliminating redundant infrastructure.
• Cut annual accounting-system costs more than 83% by replacing a costly custom platform and rebuilding financial reporting around cost centers and automated ownership reporting.
• Created financial visibility by building pricing models, budgets, cost-center reporting, and ongoing performance monitoring.
• Protected the business from regulatory and supply-chain disruption by overseeing FDA inspections, ingredient testing, certifications, labeling, packaging, sourcing, and Japan-US supplier relationships.
• Expanded distributor reach without losing operating control by directing a new distributor relationship through a six-month commercial cycle while managing the existing channel.
• Rebuilt operating infrastructure across warehouse operations, IT, accounting, reporting, budgeting, cash management, and governance, with direct reporting to the board.

Chief Executive Officer - Crane Wellness - Santa Ana, CA

(2023-06 - 2026-02)

Premium direct-to-consumer (DTC) supplements brand built within Fine USA Trading to create an independent revenue stream and reduce dependency on the distributor-reliant core business. Centered on a recurring-order nattokinase product line run by a two-person team.

• Built a consumer brand from zero into a working subscription-based DTC model on a single SKU, owning brand, ecommerce, acquisition, fulfillment, vendors, and commercial economics.
• Narrowed the brand from omni-channel to a single ad-driven DTC channel, a deliberate choice to operate efficiently within a constrained cash environment.
• Managed finance and cash flow to establish a foundation the business could scale from.
• Turned paid acquisition into a measurable capital-allocation decision by implementing Triple Whale and custom reporting across Meta, Google, Pinterest, and TikTok to track CAC, LTV, retention, ROAS, and MER.
• Protected cash from uneconomic channel expansion by modeling distributor economics across UNFI, KeHE, Pod Foods, and regional distributors, including margins, payment timing, chargebacks, inventory, and working-capital requirements.
• Scaled fulfillment without scaling headcount by redesigning workflows and combining AI tools.
• Built a US-market facing Japanese-origin product by owning positioning, messaging, packaging, ecommerce, and acquisition.
• Converted fragmented marketing activity into an operating system of budgets, performance targets, channel measurement, creator partnerships, SEO, events, and paid media.

Southern California Representative - Japan Intercultural Consulting - Los Angeles, CA

(2026-05)

Global premier training and consulting firm for companies working to bridge culture and relationships with Japanese-related environments.

• Expanded the firm's Southern California operating presence by developing relationships with companies navigating US–Japan business environments.

Vice President, Marketing & Business Development - Sleeek - Newport Beach, CA

(2019-06 - 2022-06)

Early-stage B2B SaaS startup developing productivity and analytics tools for enterprise software engineering teams, adapting Japanese engineering for the US market.

• Generated inbound interest from a major software-development company through SEO, content, outbound prospecting, webinars, and customer-driven product development.
• Turned an unproven US market into testable commercial decisions through customer discovery, live product demonstrations, startup-community engagement, and JETRO's US-market accelerator.
• Accelerated product-market learning by feeding direct prospect and prototype feedback into product and go-to-market decisions.

Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Visible Learning Designs - Irvine, CA

(2016-06 - 2019-06)

Education and consulting company providing instructional programs and advisory services on institutional technology integration.

• Built an online learning business from zero by creating the product, recruiting and training a distributed team, establishing delivery operations, and developing business.
• Turned an idea into a functioning operating business by owning product, people, delivery, and commercial development simultaneously.

Instructor, Entrepreneur, Administrator - Various - UK, Japan, US

(2001-08 - 2016-07)

Early Professional Foundations

• Built business practices, provided graduate/secondary-level instruction, and ran research operations for grant funds.
• Built the analytical and operating foundation for later P&L leadership through federal grant-budget administration, entrepreneurship, program development, and advanced mathematics instruction across three countries.

BA - Mathematics & Philosophy - University of Oxford (UK)

MA, Oxon - University of Oxford (UK)

MA - Education - Pepperdine University (US)