AKARI WATANABE

Japanese. Leads the Arc of Technology.

Akari helps corporations navigate the technologic transition to a green economy.

Her career spans engineering, policy and investment. She began as an engineer at Siemens Energy in Munich, working on hydrogen and power-to-x technologies. She then spent three years at the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, contributing to policy frameworks for clean energy innovation and technology transfer in developing economies. Later, she evaluated clean technology investments at SoftBank Group and led hydrogen business development at Mitsui & Co.

At 17, she spent eight months travelling alone through Southeast Asia—Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia—staying in guesthouses, learning basic Lao, and watching how communities with minimal resources adapted to challenges. Later, she took a six-month sabbatical to volunteer at an eco-village in France and travel across Europe.