JP
CellFiber is pleased to announce that Kazuchika Furuishi has been appointed Representative Director and CEO, effective November 7, 2025.
Mr. Furuishi joined CellFiber’s Board of Directors in July 2023 and has served as Chief Strategy Officer, leading the development and execution of business strategies. As the company prepares for full-scale global expansion, Mr. Furuishi, who brings extensive experience in strategic planning for overseas markets and the regenerative medicine sector, will now lead the company as Representative Director and CEO.
Yu Yanagisawa, who previously served as Representative Director and CEO, will continue to lead the development and enhancement of the company’s organizational structure as Director and Chief Operating Officer.
Additionally, effective November 7, 2025, Keita Kiriya from Fast Track Initiative (FTI) has been appointed as an Outside Director.
Under this new leadership team, CellFiber will continue to advance its mission to bring Japan’s innovative cell culture technology to the global market and contribute to the widespread adoption of cell therapy.
New Leadership Team
・Representative Director and CEO: Kazuchika Furuishi (New)
・Director and Chief Operating Officer: Yu Yanagisawa (New position)
・Outside Director: Taira Kobayashi
・Outside Director: Keita Kiriya (New)
Kazuchika Furuishi
Representative Director and CEO
He holds a Ph.D. in Medical Pharmacy from Kumamoto University. After roles including Global Market Sales Manager at Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd., Deputy General Manager of the Regenerative Medicine Division, CEO of Minaris Regenerative Medicine LLC, and General Manager of the Regenerative Medicine Division at Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd., he joined CellFiber as an advisor in December 2022, was appointed Director in July 2023, and became CEO in November 2025.
Yu Yanagisawa
Director and Chief Operating Officer
He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Tokyo, where he conducted research on functional polymer materials in the Takuzo Aida Laboratory. He joined CellFiber in February 2018, became a Board Director in May 2018, served as CEO from 2019, and was appointed Executive Director in November 2025.
Taira Kobayashi
Outside Director
He holds a Ph.D. in Life Sciences from the University of Tokyo. He previously conducted research at the University of Tokyo and Toyota Central R&D Labs and worked as a CNS MSL and digital health business developer at Takeda Pharmaceutical. He currently invests in deep tech and drug discovery startups at JAFCO Group and supports academia-based commercialization.
Keita Kiriya
Outside Director
He completed his master’s degree in biomedical science at Waseda University. He previously worked at PwC Advisory, supporting M&A projects including strategy development, due diligence, PMI, and carve-out operations. Since 2020, he has been with Fast Track Initiative (FTI), focusing on biotech investments and company creation based on academic R&D seeds.
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