C-Level Leadership Advisor
Danville, CA
Michael K. Takagawa is Founder and CEO of Corporate Edge, Inc., a distinguished leadership advisory firm that specializes in working with C-level executives and newly promoted CEOs.
Michael founded Corporate Edge in 1998 before the emergence of executive coaching as a trend. Leveraging his 20-year experience as a C-level executive and company president, he developed a unique organizational model combining executive mentoring with team-based leadership consulting.
Since 2005, Corporate Edge has been Kaiser Permanente’s preferred partner, having coached hundreds of its senior leaders. Other high-profile clients include Adobe Systems, Genentech, AAA Insurance, Blue Shield and Salesforce; in addition to numerous successful startups. Michael has also been a long-time mentor for organizations devoted to the development of women executives.
Prior to launching Corporate Edge as his own entrepreneurial start-up, Michael held executive roles, including company president, chief operating officer, and vice president, for high-profile consumer goods companies. His career started in brand marketing including Procter & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive, and Kikkoman International.
Since being selected as a Fellow for Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute, Michael has contributed to the Stanford community in various capacities. He has teamed with Matt Abrahams, GSB lecturer, in co-delivering communications/executive presence initiatives and has partnered with Robert Joss, former GSB Dean, in co-teaching “Leadership Demystified” – a popular GSB class. He is Co-Leader for ‘DCI Speaks’, a special interest group on executive communications best practices for DCI fellows and alumni.
A San Francisco native, Michael earned his MBA from Stanford University and his BS from University of California, Berkeley.
