Kari Yanai

Kari Yanai has a diverse work experience spanning various industries and roles. Kari currently works as the Business Operations Manager at The Pokémon Company International, leading the Art Approval Team. In this role, they ensure the brand's vision and standards are upheld by reviewing and approving character art assets. Prior to this, they worked as a Senior Business Operations Associate, contributing to the overall Pokémond business in Europe by working closely with internal teams and liaising with offices in Tokyo and Seattle.

Before their time at The Pokémon Company, Kari had experience in executive assistance at Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe Ltd, where they acted as the point of contact between management in the UK and Japan. Kari also worked at Square Enix as a Business Support Manager, providing post-acquisition integration support and minimizing linguistic and cultural misunderstandings.

Kari's earlier experience includes working at Prodrive as the Subaru World Rally Team Commercial Manager and Asia Coordinator for Aston Martin Racing. In these roles, they supported sales and acted as a primary interface between teams in the UK and Japan. Kari also worked at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment as a Marketing Manager, Head of Production Department, and 007 franchise & brand manager, where they refined marketing strategies, oversaw budget and scheduling, and negotiated contracts with vendors.

Additionally, Kari has experience with international volunteer work through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In this role, they gave presentations on Japanese culture, worked on improving English education programs, and provided advice on tourism.

At the start of their career, Kari worked at MGM as an International DVD Production Manager and later as an MGM Brand Manager. In these roles, they played a key role in launching the first DVD in the Asia Pacific and Latin America markets, and led business expansion efforts in Japan while improving product quality.

Overall, Kari Yanai's work experience showcases their expertise in business operations, marketing, branding, and cross-cultural communication, particularly in the entertainment and gaming industries.

Kari Yanai attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1993 to 1998, where they earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. During their time at the university, Kari studied Spanish and Economics. In addition, Kari also spent a year, from 1996 to 1997, at the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, focusing on Spanish Language and Literature, although no specific degree was mentioned for this institution.