Ryoichi Nagata, MD, PhD, FFPM
Board Chairman
Ryoichi Nagata, MD, PhD, FFPM
Board Chairman
Ryoichi Nagata, M.D., Ph.D., FFPM is the Chairman and President of Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd., Chairman of Medipolis Proton Therapy and Research Center, Chairman of Veritas Academy, and Honorary Consul-General of the Royal Government of Bhutan in Japan. He obtained MD from School of Medicine at St. Marianna University, PhD from Graduate School of Medicine at Kagoshima University, and MA from Graduate School of Buddhism at Koyasan University. He also serves as a member of board of directors for St. Marianna Univ., Juntendo Univ., The Japan China Medical Association, and Japanese Society of Preventive Medicine. Visiting Professor of St. Marianna University, Tokyo Medical University, Kochi University, Yantai University (China), and University of Maryland, Baltimore. He is qualified to be an Instructor for Clinical Pharmacologists of The Japanese Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Instructor for Japanese Society of Preventive Medicine, Certified Toxicologist of The Japanese Society of Toxicology, and Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (FFPM, UK).
Ken Takanashi, MBA, CPA
Board Director
Ken Takanashi, MBA, CPA
Board Director
Ken Takanashi, MBA, CPA, was appointed Senior Executive Vice President of Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd. in June 2017. Mr.Takanashi joined Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd., in December 2002 as Executive Director. Prior to joining Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd., Mr. Takanashi was employed by Suasa Kristal (M) Bhd. from December 1996 to December 2002, most recently as Executive Director and General Manager. He also served as Business Development Manager for Mitsubishi Corporation from April 1987 to November 1996. Mr. Takanashi also currently serves on the board of directors of Wave Life Sciences, Ltd., and TMS Co., Ltd., public biopharmaceutical companies, as well as on the board of directors of several private companies. Mr. Takanashi is a Chartered Public Accountant in Delaware. Mr. Takanashi received a B.A. from The University of Tokyo, and an M.B.A. from The University of Warwick, Coventry U.K.
Thomas B. King, MBA
Board Director
Thomas B. King, MBA
Board Director
Tom King is President and a member of the Board of Directors at Satsuma, bringing more than 40 years of leadership experience across the biopharmaceutical industry, spanning emerging development-stage companies to publicly traded commercial organizations. Throughout his career, he has successfully built, operated, and led the strategic growth and sale of multiple specialty pharmaceutical companies with commercial products. Most recently, Tom served as Interim Executive Chair of Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACHV) from August 2024 to June 2025 and was a member of the company’s Board of Directors from 2023 to 2026. He previously served on the Board of Directors of VIVUS, Inc. (Nasdaq: VVUS) from 2017 to 2020, including periods as Interim Chief Executive Officer and Interim President. From 2003 to 2016, Tom was President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors of Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALXA). Alexza focused on the development and commercialization of rapid-onset inhaled therapies for central nervous system conditions using its proprietary Staccato® drug delivery platform, including the U.S. and international approvals of Adasuve® (Staccato loxapine). Under Tom’s leadership, Alexza advanced from a development-stage company to a commercial organization and was ultimately acquired by Grupo Ferrer in 2016. Tom also held several senior leadership roles at Anesta Corporation (Nasdaq: NSTA), including President and Chief Operating Officer and later President and Chief Executive Officer. Anesta specialized in pain management and advanced drug delivery technologies, including innovative transmucosal therapeutic systems that resulted in multiple U.S. and international product approvals. The company was acquired by Cephalon, Inc. in 2000. Tom earned a B.A. in Chemistry from McPherson College and an M.B.A. from the University of Kansas Graduate School of Business.
Koji Nakajima, MBA
Board Director
Koji Nakajima, MBA
Board Director
Koji Nakajima joined Satsuma as Head of Corporate Strategy in 2026. Koji joined Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd. (SNBL) in 2025 and currently serves as Executive Officer and Head of Corporate Planning. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of SNLD Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SNBL. He has over 15 years of experience in global business development and cross-functional leadership. Koji began his career with Re-tem Corporation, followed by Misumi Group and Arthur D. Little, the world’s oldest strategy consulting firm, where he advised leading global corporations on new business development and corporate strategy. He later joined Sansan, then one of Japan’s leading unicorn startups, where he served as Director of Sales and led digital transformation initiatives for major enterprise clients. Koji holds an MBA from the University of Michigan, with concentrations in Corporate Strategy and Accounting.