The journey of Akiko Kikuchi: From private practice to leading an award-winning legal team

Akiko Kikuchi is a skilled general counsel with over two decades of experience in the legal industry. In this episode, we delve into the challenges of creating a career at a time when it was unusual to hire university graduate women in Japan. Akiko shares the benefits of building a strong team and how to get through the career challenges that might crop up for a general counsel. Get ready to be inspired and informed in this episode of Lawyer on Air.

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In this episode you’ll hear:

How Akiko gave up her first job offer for a study abroad opportunity, even though they had “already started making her uniform”

How adversity and even “war room” level organisation emergencies can be overcome 

Bringing innovation and fun to compliance issues

Her favourite podcasts, books and other fun facts 


About Akiko
Akiko Kikuchi is the General Counsel, Head of Law, Patents & Compliance, and Senior Operating Officer for Bayer, a global life science company, in Japan.  Akiko holds law degrees in both Japan and England and is licensed to practice law in England and Wales as well as Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China.  Akiko has worked in the legal industry for over two decades previously serving as the General Counsel for PwC Japan and General Counsel for GE Plastics Japan.  
Akiko is a Japanese national born in Yokohama, but she spent her important formative years from age 3 to 8 living in London due to her father’s job.  Through this experience, England very much became her second home.  For study, she first obtained her BA in law from Keio University in Japan.  She was awarded a scholarship by the Jardine Matheson Foundation to study law at the Honour School of Jurisprudence of Exeter College, Oxford University where she obtained an MA in Law.    
In 2020, Akiko won the ALB Japan Law Awards as the Woman Lawyer of the Year (In-House category), and she led her team to win the Compliance and Risk Management In-House Team of the Year Award. This year in June, Akiko’s team won two awards at ALB Japan Law Awards, Innovative In-house Team of the Year and Healthcare and Pharmaceutical In-house Team of the Year.  
Akiko is also a very active member of the Japan legal community and serves as the Co-President of Japan In-house Counsel Network and Executive Board Member of the Japan CLO Association.  She was listed on the GC Powerlist Japan chapter in July, the Legal 500 list that highlights the most influential in-house lawyers and legal team in the local legal industry.
Outside of work, Akiko built a house with her husband 2 years ago and is very much into design and decoration.  She lives minutes’ walk away from the ocean in Kamakura and enjoys going on walks to view the sunset.  Akiko also enjoys wine,  food and spas (hot springs).  She is blessed with two sons – one, a 14-year-old teenager and another, a small furry toy poodle.

Connect with Akiko 
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/akiko-kikuchi-74826b45/ 

Links
Smoke Door: https://hotel-the-knot.jp/yokohama/smoke-door/ 
Shimon: https://www.seamon.jp/  

Connect with Catherine 
Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@lawyeronair