Board of Directors
Masateru Higashida
CEO, DIRECTOR, & CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Mr. Higashida has served as the Chief Executive Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Company since October 2014, and as Chairman of the Board since April 2013. He previously also held the position of President of the Company from October 2014 until August 2017, and CFO from August 2014 until February 2019. Mr. Higashida previously founded multiple companies, including a Korea-based financial company and a Singapore-based investment company, and began his career in the financial industry in Nagoya, Japan.
Kevin J. Conner
DIRECTOR
Mr. Conner has served on our Board since October 22, 2019. Mr. Conner is currently Managing Director of Conner & Associates, a restructuring & turnaround servicing firm he founded in 1991. Mr. Conner has held senior management and board seats of public & private companies along with being the Chair of the Conner & Associates’ SEC audit practice. Mr. Conner is frequently retained as a qualified expert witness in matters before both Federal and State courts, including both corporate governance and general business matters. Mr. Conner holds an MS in Taxation from Philadelphia University and a BS in Accounting from West Chester University of Pennsylvania along with being licensed to practice as a CPA in the State of New York and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
J. Chris Jones
DIRECTOR
Mr. Jones has served on our Board since October 22, 2019. Mr. Jones currently serves as the Managing Director of Haddington Ventures, LLC, a venture fund manager and advisor Mr. Jones co-founded in 1998, where he focuses on acquisitions, financing and administrative issues of portfolio companies. While at Haddington, Mr. Jones has served on over 12 boards of directors of portfolio companies, such as Lodi Gas Storage, which was sold to Buckeye Partners, and Bear Paw Energy, which was sold to Northern Border Partners. Prior to the formation of Haddington, Mr. Jones served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tejas Power Corporation (“TPC”), a publicly traded company and then as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 1995. He also served as a Director of Market Hub Partners, L.P. and as Secretary/Treasurer, and later Chief Financial Officer of The Fisk Group, Inc. Mr. Jones began his professional career with the auditing firm Price Waterhouse in Houston, Texas in 1977.
Nobuki Kurita
DIRECTOR
Nobuki Kurita has served on our Board since March, 2021. Kurita’s background includes serving as President and Chief Operating Officer of Restar Holdings Corporation, a company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and a manufacturer of semiconductor products, from September 2017 until his retirement in March 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Kurita served as President of Sony China Co., Ltd from April 2012 to June 2016.
David G. Robson
David G. Robson has served on our Board since March, 2021. Mr. Robson has over twenty-five years of operational, finance and accounting experience and has held senior positions with both public and private companies in a variety of industries. Mr. Robson has served on the Board of Directors of Payference, a software business, since February 2020. Mr. Robson served as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of Farmer Brothers Co., a publicly traded national distributor of coffee, tea and culinary products from February 2017 to November 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Robson served as the Chief Financial Officer of PIRCH, a curator and retailer of kitchen, bath and outdoor home brands; as the Chief Financial Officer of U.S. AutoParts; as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Mervyns LLC; and as the Senior Vice President of Finance and Principal Accounting Officer for Guitar Center, Inc. Mr. Robson began his career with the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche Tohmastu.