Team

Martin Stricker (President & Representative Director)

Martin Stricker is a Swiss born entrepreneur, who has had connections to Japan stretching over two decades. After graduating with an MBA from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, he attended Sophia University in Tokyo.
Having had exposure to various industries, he entered Tosoh Corporation at its Japan headquarters in 2000, assisting the company in expanding its overseas business. During that time he concurrently served as Mission Secretary to the "6th Survey Mission of the Japanese Association for Technology Management in the Polymer Industry" to the US and Europe.
In 2004, he established Gaipro, Inc., a company dedicated to Executive Search and Management Consulting. In February 2007, he was elected to the Board of Directors of Genedata K.K. as an external board member. In April 2008, he was appointed corporate auditor of Medela K.K. In February 2010, he was appointed as the President of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Japan (SCCIJ). .

Marko Zelger (Consultant)

Marko Zelger is Swiss with some additional Finnish background. After growing up in Switzerland, he first left for Japan on his own when he was 16. He spent the year in Shikoku as a high school exchange student which was also the starting point of his ever deepening connection to Japan. After returning to Switzerland and completing his high school education he advanced to the University of Zurich, Switzerland, where he accumulated academic knowledge of Japanese culture and language, as well as of economics and Chinese. Reflecting his international mindset and his ability to pursue several goals at the same time, before graduating with a Master of Arts, he was part of the Swiss Pavilion (organized by the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at the 2005 World Exhibition in Aichi, where he contributed with his multilingual talent to the Exposition's great success. Furthermore, during his studies, he passed JLPT Level 1 and worked as a Japanese-German interpreter and translator for courts and bureaus in Switzerland. Prior to joining Gaipro, he worked for a mid-sized Japanese company gaining first hand local working experience.

Yukie Akimoto (Executive Assistant)

Yukie Akimoto has been fascinated by the city of New York, and spent most of her time in her 20's traveling between Japan and the US. In 2001, after various assignments both in Japan and in the US, she started to work as a secretary for a Member of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet.
As she worked for a member of Parliament, she witnessed firsthand the upheavals in the Diet during the Koizumi era. Subsequently, she also worked for a Member of the House of Councilors. Thereafter, she worked for a law firm, followed by a position in General Affairs for a foreign publisher famous for TV commercials. She has been with Gaipro since 2008 and takes care of all back office operations including the home page ensuring that the office is running smoothly.