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Rika Holden Nakamura
Towards Change
Founder and Project Director
Rika Nakamura, founder of "Towards Change," is revolutionising inclusive representation in advertising through innovative community engagement. With a successful track record advising multinational companies in Japan, upon arriving in the UK, Rika identified a critical lack of Asian representation in British advertising. Leveraging her unique perspective as an Asian entrepreneur, she immediately launched Towards Change, a small social-purpose consultancy business, aiming to improve Asian representation in the industry.Rika's groundbreaking approach engages Asian voices to rework contentious advertisements, reconstructing them to empower Asian communities and improve representation. She has conducted over 60 workshops, engaging marginalised communities and providing valuable advice about representation to advertisers. This initiative has garnered support from over 20 global advertising experts and raised over £3000 from multinational companies. As a foreigner navigating the English-speaking world, Rika initially faced challenges in driving the UK advertising industry toward true Asian representation. Having already established herself as an ad consultant in Japan, overcoming a traditionally masculine business environment, these experiences fueled her passion for amplifying marginalised voices and reshaping advertising to be more inclusive and equitable. Rika’s innovative approach of integrating Asian voices into the advertising creation process has earned her recognition from major global media outlets, including ELLE, as she continues to inspire others to prioritise authentic, meaningful DEI practices that extend inclusivity across all sectors of global society.