Get to know May: Takashi Nakamura, Japan Country Manager

What were your roles prior to May Mobility?

Before joining May Mobility, I served as the General Manager of the Planning Department & New Business Incubation at the Social Innovation Business Development Unit in DENSO Corporation. I was one of the original managing members of this newly created unit. During this time, I established a “robotics for society” business/tech development team, secured funding of several million dollars from HQ, set up a new in-house robotics demonstration lab, and conducted a demo during our shareholders' meeting within 1.5 years.

Before DENSO, I held the position of Executive Vice President of Investment and Business Development at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America in Houston, TX. I was part of the early small business development team in the US. Before that, I was a lead engineering manager for the H-IIA vehicle launch site team at the Space Division in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

What brought you to May?

I’m completely aligned with May's mission to reimagine transportation through its autonomous vehicle technology, its practical and economically viable approach toward implementation. May's mission strongly resonates with my personal vision of "bringing smiles to ordinary people by helping them expand their horizons through technology," and its approach fits my way of thinking from an engineering and business development background.

What will you be doing as the Japan Country Manager?

My short-term goal is to help May Mobility become recognized as one of the leading AV tech companies in Japan. As the people of Japan begin to learn about and experience our technology, then we will be in a position to make a real impact in the country. This leads me to my long-term goal: to provide equitable, affordable, and reliable public transit to Japan's communities, especially those with aging and decreasing populations.

What are you most excited about for May's future?

Using May Mobility’s autonomous vehicle technology, we can bring smiles and dignity to people living in shrinking and aging communities by offering them convenient and affordable mobility options. I’m also very excited to be able to use it myself in the future!

Which of May's core values resonates with you the most and why?

Consider the Bigger Picture: Businesses should provide value for people and May Mobility really takes this to heart. Our autonomous vehicle technology only matters when we create value for society and always keeping the bigger picture in mind will guide us toward this path and drive positive impact wherever we deploy.