Venture Republic Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Chief Executive Officer: Kei Shibata) has announced that Masaya Higuchi, ex-IBM Japan Exec, joined as Chief Digital officer to accelerate technology transformation on LINE TRAVEL jp (https://www.travel.co.jp/).
Mr. Higuchi worked in cutting edge technological fields at IBM for 26 years across 16 various operations with the most recent being the Watson AI project- a successful pioneer in artificial intelligence. He played an active role in areas concerning digital marketing and blockchain utilizing the latest technology to its limit and is an effective specialist in leading the business.
Venture Republic Inc initiated a strategic partnership with LINE Corporation (Henceforth “LINE”) and reformed their brand into LINE TRAVEL jp, and focuses on to become a unique travel brand answering travelers’ needs before they travel, during their trip and after their travel.
With Mr. Higuchi’s expertise on the innovative technologies and business experiences together with LINE TRAVEL jp’s operations, we aim to be a service capable of proposing the best value to users, and welcome the call to stir innovation in the travel and tourism industry which makes up 10% of global GDP.
Masaya Higuchi, CDO, Venture Republic said “Venture Republic Inc. commits itself to be a prominent global player in the travel and tourism industry which is regarded as one of Japan’s growth-markets. I feel its partnership with LINE group is a differentiator and a potential game changer. I also want to contribute my strength experienced in various careers to managing the business, and strongly feel there are many new opportunities to capitalize on my experience and strength.”
Kei Shibata, Co-founder & CEO, Venture Republic said ” We are thrilled to have Masaya on board. He is one of the few leaders in the industry who has in-depth understandings of technology and its applications to businesses. Together with his passion in travel, we are certain that he will help us innovate our product at LINE TRAVEL jp to better serve our 20+ million monthly users.”
