Board of Directors

George Hara

CHAIRPERSON

Mr. George Hara graduated from Keio University's Faculty of Law and became involved in archaeological research in Central America until the age of 27, following which he enrolled in the Stanford MBA Program in California. After a period serving as UN Fellow, Mr. Hara received a Master of Science degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Engineering. In 1984, Mr. Hara founded DEFTA Partners and went on to become one of the most prominent Silicon valley venture capitalists in the field of telecommunications and technology in the 1980s and '90s.

Yasushi Shiotsuki

DIRECTOR

Mr. Yasushi Shiotsuki is a seasoned telecom professional with over 28 years of industry experience, currently serving as Senior General Manager at KDDI Corporation in Tokyo. With a deep background in mobile access technologies and business management, Mr. Shiotsuki has held various high-level roles at KDDI, including leadership in global operations and RAN (Radio Access Network) development. His technical expertise spans 2G to 4G mobile systems, vendor and quality management, and strategic project execution across international markets such as South Korea and Myanmar.

Masa Isono

DIRECTOR

Mr. Masa Isono has been actively involved in venture development and corporate partnering for Japanese companies with U.S. and Asian partners for more than 20 years. At DEFTA, he is specifically in charge of value-creating services for its portfolio companies. Combining skills of international business development, joint ventures management, and knowledge of strategic planning and corporate finance, he provides entrepreneurs and corporations with experience, insight and the guidance needed to build strong businesses.

KAM Morshed

DIRECTOR

KAM Morshed leads BRAC’s advocacy, partnership, and technology teams. He facilitates BRAC’s policy engagements and stimulates technology adaptation to help reimagine BRAC’s internal processes and programme interventions. He is also responsible for fostering partnership between BRAC and the government to help expand BRAC’s impact. Before joining BRAC in October 2015, Mr Morshed led Bangladesh’s Policy, Innovation and Communication teams at UNDP for over 10 years. In that role, he managed UNDP-government partnerships and supervised various programme interventions in the areas of ICT4D, MDGs, aid effectiveness, trade, and south-south cooperation.