Principal Founder

Mariko Goto

Joint Representative Director

Mariko serves as Representative Director of Profound Vision and is also a founding partner. Her family is based in Yamagata Prefecture.

Prior to founding Profound Vision Mariko worked in several prestigious IT firms, such as NEC, Toshiba, and IBM Japan. She has expertise in supply chain management, client support, and human resource protocols. Mariko is bicultural and has developed expertise in navigating cultural gaps that can develop between offshore companies and Japan.

Mariko received her undergraduate degree from Toyoko-Gakuen Women’s College. Her interests include music, piano, trombone, and watching figure skating.

Founder

Nobuo Shiobara

CEO and Representative Director

Nobuo serves as President and Representative Director (CEO) of Profound Vision. Prior to Profound Vision, Nobuo was an executive at Honda Motors Japan and was leading the PR team for Honda Motors Japan. During his time at Honda Motors Japan, he also worked closely with Honda Motor USA for all market press coverage in the USA.

Later Nobuo was invited to initiate and become a start-up member and a co-founder for an American PR firm, Fleishman Hillard Japan, to establish Japan operations as part of the senior management, and to act as Senior Advisor for the firm.

Nobuo later was later engaged with the Ibaraki Prefectural Government office to head up their PR division, responsible for prefectural government affairs’ PR, both local and on a national scale.

Nobuo will be guiding the Profound Vision team in Research and Development, focusing on the Smart Community projects driven by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MEITI), and Toyota’s WOVEN City project.

Nobuo attended Keio University in Tokyo, Japan and graduated from the School of Economics.

Founder

Paul G. Guilfoile

Chairman

Paul serves as Chairman and co-founder of Profound Vision. Previously, Paul was the Chairman of Kirin-Tropicana, Inc. in Japan, under Joseph E. Seagrams and Pepsico. Paul led the development of Tropicana juice in Japan for over 16 years, making it the #1 juice brand in Japan today, and the largest juice brand in Asia.

Paul was also in two major advertising agencies in Japan prior to this with accounts such as Uni-Lever, DeBeers Diamonds, IBM Asia, and Coca-Cola. Paul is an expert in bringing new businesses into Japan and building brands over time. He is also an expert in helping brands and the organizations behind them adapt to the Japanese consumer and business culture.

Paul is a graduate of the Comparative Culture Department of Sophia University. He was the chairman of the St. Mary’s International School Alumni Association. He has lived in Japan for over 57 years.