Rakuten Symphony has appointed experienced international lawyer, David Kadaka as its new chief legal officer. A trilingual lawyer licensed in New York and U.S. Federal Courts, David has close to two decades of expertise from top international law firms and leadership roles in global IT and manufacturing companies.
David is replacing the outgoing chief legal officer who has been appointed as the first global General Counsel of Rakuten Group's AI and Data Division, working alongside Rakuten's global Chief AI and Data Officer.
Prior to joining Rakuten, David was the chief legal officer and chief compliance officer for two key tech businesses within HOYA Corporation, a Nikkei 225 company. While practicing law in NewYork, David also worked with telecom companies such as Nokia and Huawei.
“I’m very excited to join Rakuten,” he said. “From day one, Rakuten Symphony has challenged the status quo in telecom. Our software is already disrupting the market, and the company’s technology portfolio and strategic vision have positioned us well to support mobile network operators with their biggest challenges and in delivering their long-term transformation.”
Rakuten’s artificial intelligence ambitions played a big part in David’s decision to join the company. “I believe AI is transformative – it will have the same level of effect as the smartphone, which transformed how we gather and process information and even how we interact with each other,” he said. “Being part of the revolution that incorporates AI into telecom is very exciting. I believe the decision to ‘open source’ our software is another move that puts Rakuten Symphony ahead of the curve in the industry.”
David places a great emphasis on the chief legal officer’s duty to be a strategic advisor to an organization and to go beyond the core responsibilities of the role. “The chief legal officer has evolved into being a strategic partner to the business and high-level problem solver – that’s what I aim to bring to my position,” he said. “It’s critical that the CLO understands business strategy and goes beyond aspects that are related purely to the legal profession. The CLO can’t just be someone that says ‘no’; the business comes to you expecting you to solve problems – to find solutions that are permitted under law while delivering the best possible business outcome.”
He also underlined the ways he believes the legal department can support the organization’s operations by improving the Rakuten Symphony customer experience.“I want the legal team to be proactive in collaborating with Rakuten Symphony’s business units and supporting the growth of our ecosystem in the way we work with customers and partners. The legal team must be also be committed to lifelong learning. The legal industry doesn’t always move as fast as tech, but it’s essential that we stay on top of all things related to tech law – we need to be team players that work across the organization.”
