Kawaguchi brings over a decade of app marketing leadership to WAKEI as VP of Sales, leading its sales organization as it scales across Japan and Taiwan.

TOKYO, JAPAN, July 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Appier and Rakuten Veteran Tomoya Kawaguchi Joins WAKEI to Lead Sales Organization
Kawaguchi brings over a decade of app marketing leadership — including a formative role at Appier through its 2021 Tokyo Stock Exchange listing — to WAKEI as VP of Sales, where he will lead the company's sales organization as it scales its Independent Trading Desk business across Japan and Taiwan.

WAKEI Inc., a Japan-Taiwan cross-border digital marketing company operating an Independent Trading Desk (ITD) business built on app-focused demand-side platforms, today announced that Tomoya Kawaguchi has joined the company as VP of Sales, effective July 16, 2026. In this role, Kawaguchi will lead WAKEI's sales organization as the company's most senior sales executive, overseeing the full go-to-market strategy for its ITD business.

Kawaguchi's appointment strengthens WAKEI's sales organization for its ITD business, deepens the company's advisory capability for Japanese app advertisers, and accelerates WAKEI's Japan-Taiwan cross-border marketing efforts, which draw on consumer purchase data from Taiwan.
A Career Built at the Intersection of Data and App Advertising

Kawaguchi has spent more than a decade in Japan's digital advertising industry, with deep experience spanning both app marketing and data-driven advertising. He joined Appier's Japan entity in 2015 as an early team member, going on to lead the country's advertising sales organization and drive the business growth that carried through to Appier Group's 2021 listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Before Appier, Kawaguchi spent three years at Rakuten, where he sold advertising products built on purchase data from Rakuten Ichiba — Japan's largest e-commerce platform — and other group media, working closely with Japan's leading digital agencies, including CyberAgent and Dentsu. That grounding in purchase-data-driven advertising — distinct from his later app-advertising career — gives Kawaguchi a rare vantage point that connects directly to WAKEI's cross-border marketing business, which is built on consumer purchase data from Taiwan's Invos Data.
Over his career, Kawaguchi has worked directly with or overseen sales relationships with more than 500 companies, establishing him as one of the most recognized sales leaders in Japan's app DSP advertising industry.

Statements

"My relationship with Tomoya goes back over a decade, to my own time at Rakuten. I've watched his career ever since. His track record as a sales leader and his depth of industry knowledge speak for themselves, but what I value most is who he is as a person: an unwavering customer-first mindset, a refusal to compromise on professionalism, and a willingness to face difficult problems head-on rather than avoid them. He's also earned the genuine respect of younger colleagues throughout his career for his integrity and character. That combination is why I'm entrusting him with WAKEI's sales organization, and I'm confident he'll build a team our clients can trust."
Takeshi Iryo, CEO — WAKEI Inc.

"Throughout my career at Rakuten and Appier, I've been consistently focused on advertising sales. My time at Appier, in particular, showed me firsthand the potential of programmatic advertising in Japan's app marketing industry, and it made me want to help that potential grow even further. I was drawn to WAKEI's mission to move beyond boundaries and drive a richer future, and to its commitment as an independent, platform-agnostic ITD to transparent programmatic operations. Joining this new challenge that spans Japan and Taiwan, I intend to put my full experience and network to work — expanding what's possible in app advertising and delivering real value to advertisers on both sides of the corridor."
Tomoya Kawaguchi, VP of Sales — WAKEI Inc.

About WAKEI Inc.
WAKEI Inc. is a Japan-Taiwan cross-border digital marketing company founded in October 2025 and headquartered in Tokyo. The company operates an Independent Trading Desk (ITD) providing transparent, platform-agnostic programmatic campaign management, alongside a Japan-Taiwan cross-border marketing business built on consumer purchase data. WAKEI's investors include Ho-Chwan Investment Co., Ltd., the investment vehicle of the co-founding family of Taiwan's Hotai Group, and MicroAd, Inc. (TSE Growth: 9553). Website: https://wakei-inc.com/home-en

About Tomoya Kawaguchi
Tomoya Kawaguchi
VP of Sales, WAKEI Inc. — leads the company's sales organization

A graduate of Meiji University, Kawaguchi joined Rakuten in 2012, where he began his career selling advertising products built on purchase data from Rakuten Ichiba — Japan's largest e-commerce platform — and other group media, working with Japan's leading digital agencies. In 2015, he joined Appier's Japan entity, helping build the company's presence in Japan's emerging programmatic advertising market, and later became Director, overseeing advertising sales and account management and contributing to the business growth that carried through to Appier Group's 2021 IPO on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Over more than a decade, he has worked directly with or overseen sales to over 500 companies, establishing himself as one of Japan's leading sales figures in app DSP advertising. He joined WAKEI as VP of Sales in July 2026, where he leads the company's sales organization.

WAKEI Media Relations
WAKEI, Inc
info@wakeiinc.com

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