Akiko Amakawa | CEO Chief of Staff

Akiko Amakawa is the CEO chief of staff for Takeda.

Akiko most recently served as corporate strategy officer & CEO chief of staff, overseeing Corporate Strategy, the CEO office, Board of Directors operations, and Corporate Governance. In this role, she worked closely with senior leadership and the Board to shape Takeda’s enterprise strategy and strategic priorities. Since joining Takeda in 2018, Akiko has played a key role in advancing the company’s corporate development and external innovation strategy. She previously led Global Business Development across Gastrointestinal & Inflammation, Neuroscience, and Vaccines, where she was responsible for several high-impact transactions, including Takeda’s acquisition of Nimbus Therapeutics’ TYK2 program (TAK-279). She also helped establish strategic partnerships with Moderna and Novavax and supported collaboration with the Government of Japan to secure COVID-19 vaccine supply during the pandemic.

Akiko brings more than 20 years of experience in corporate development, M&A, business development, and corporate strategy across the pharmaceutical, life sciences, technology, and automotive sectors in Japan, the U.S., and China.

Akiko holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Tokyo.

Akiko splits her time between Tokyo and Boston.