Meet the Broad College’s 2024 Global Engagement Fellow

Continuing a tradition that began in 2023, Keiichi Higuchi (MBA Materials & Logistics Management ’83) visited campus from Tokyo as The Broad College of Business’ Fall 2024 Global Engagement Fellow in early October. Each semester, Broad hosts a Global Engagement Fellow, an international alum of Michigan State with extensive international business experience, chosen to offer their leadership and business expertise to mentor students, engage with faculty and staff, and bring attention to the college’s global mindset initiatives.

Higuchi-san has been President of Kawasaki Rikuso Transportation Co., LTD. since June 2001. In his role, Higuchi-san is responsible for managing the 100-year-old logistics firm with trucking, public warehousing, and customs clearance services in Japan, specializing in the field of packaged foods, confectionaries and beverages. Kawasaki Rikuso Transportation Co., LTD. established an Indian subsidiary, Kawasaki Solar Warehousing PVT. LTD. in 2018 to build solar-powered self-charging temperature-controlled warehouses in India, which contributed to creating a supply chain of vegetables and fruits from Indian farmers to consumers with the concept of food safety and security.

He was awarded the “Joon S. Moon Distinguished International Alumni Award” from Michigan State in 2014 and is an active member of the MSU Alumni Club of Japan, currently serving as secretary. Higuchi-san has also generously given his time for over two decades to study abroad. With his support, hundreds of students have experienced Japanese business culture through guided trips, networking sessions and sponsored events.

During his time on campus, Higuchi-san attended many events, including a coffee networking hour, lunch at the Palmer Center, a walk-through of the Supply Chain Management Career Fair and met with the International Business Student Organization.

He shared some thoughts about his time as a Michigan State student and how it has impacted his career since graduating:

Reflecting on the global business environment, how do you think your international experiences have influenced your approach to problem-solving and management?

I am utilizing all the knowledge and education I received here at MSU and all of the experience I received after graduation, and I applied that concept to India. I am now teaching the Indian managers the basic concepts that I learned in the United States and Japan and how they can apply my education to build a supply chain from scratch, from the farmer to the table.

What advice would you offer current Michigan State business students who are looking to succeed in a globalized business world?

1. You cannot do everything right after graduating. I’ve seen people heavily relying on computers and digital communications networks after graduating, and they want to manage the company right away. However, they need to be prepared to work with other people and learn from scratch. You need experience on the front line, whether that’s the factory line, the farmer’s field, or the sales floor.
2. You need to find which specific area you can apply the knowledge you’ve gathered from your time on the front lines.
3. Many students, especially MBAs, want to work globally very quickly. But you need to wait till the ‘best time’ for you when your finances, technology, and personal time can all be focused on international experiences. In my case, I only started working globally only ten years ago. Maybe your chance will only come when you’re in your 60s, and that’s ok! Your opportunity will come, but everything needs to align – don’t be in a hurry.

Since your return, what significant changes or developments have you noticed at Michigan State University or the Broad College of Business?

All the buildings, rooms, and new technology are so great now – I want to return to study! I am in the last era of having to write and then re-type. Half of my time in business school was spent re-typing reports with small edits. If we had to update this section or edit that section, you had to re-type the whole thing!

What legacy do you hope to leave through your work with alumni and education abroad programs?

Younger generations are hesitant to get into alumni associations. They may think it’s like an ‘old boys club.’ I did, too. But if you participate through the local chapter, it’s fine. Eventually, you will encounter different people outside of your local chapter. If you participate through networking and things like that, you may be able to find someone who can help you.

I had a really difficult time setting up my subsidiary company in India. It had taken 3 to 4 months just to get the registration set up, and I couldn’t make any type of schedule to get my business up and running. I emailed Claire Brender (former Director of International Alumni Engagement & Discovery) to see if there was someone who was a ‘Good Spartan’ to help me, and she knew someone to direct me to. When I went to Mumbai, I met with those connections, and they were able to help me get set up in 3 weeks!

My daughter joked with me that the Spartan Nation is like a religion. The ties are so strong, and you can really rely on the network.