Corporate Mentorship Program

Course overview

The objective of this course is to develop strategic proposals for Maruha Nichiro, a global leader in the marine and food industries, as it transitions to a new corporate identity.

Maruha Nichiro has announced that it will officially change its name to Umios, which stands for “Umi (ocean) One Solutions,” marking a bold departure from its 145-year tradition. Guided by the vision “For the Ocean, For Life,” Umios will pursue sustainable growth, co-create value with diverse stakeholders, and transform into a “solution company” that resolves social issues through food. Building upon the company’s foundation of resource procurement capabilities—its core strength—enhanced by processing technologies and ingredient supply capabilities, on a GLocal scale (globally and locally) Umios will deploy a “value cycle” mechanism that integrates businesses and functions. This will enable Umios to generate “sustainable protein solutions” and “health value creation” as unique offerings that maximize corporate value.

In this course, students will engage with one of two strategic challenges:

(1) designing a market expansion strategy for overseas growth, or

(2) proposing a new business or product focused on sustainability and social impact.

Students are expected to integrate and apply business frameworks from marketing, corporate strategy, design thinking, and social innovation to develop actionable and forward-looking proposals that align with Umios’s global ambition.