Rakuten’s Takuya Kitagawa on Digital Twins, Getting a CEO to Love Data, and Moonshots

As the Managing Executive Officer & CDO at Rakuten, Takuya Kitagawa’s charter is both varied and complex. For the past four years, he has guided the digital native through accelerated expansion into multiple industries, including online banking, shopping, mobile communications, and travel, in order to deliver customers a more integrated and affordable service experience. Takuya dives into the concept of ‘digital twins’ and how the company is using tight data integrations to enhance customer experiences. He also gives a behind-the-scenes look at several moonshot ideas that the company is investing in, including a revolutionary technology that seeks to cure cancer.