Our Host

Kei Izawa

Aikikai 7th Dan Black Belt · Former Chairman, International Aikido Federation (2016 –2021) · Former GM/Opel Executive · Acclaimed Author



IBCircle Member Kei Izawa is one of the most extraordinary figures you will ever encounter — a man who has operated at the highest levels of both global business and international martial arts simultaneously, and who has spent decades translating one into the other.

As a senior executive at GM/Opel, he led transformations in some of the world's most demanding markets using principles drawn directly from the dojo — outmaneuvering larger competitors not through force, but through alignment, timing, and redirection. As Chairman of the International Aikido Federation, he governed a global organization spanning dozens of countries and hundreds of thousands of practitioners. And as the author of The Aikido Executive and The Victory Paradox, he has codified those insights into a leadership framework that is changing how executives think about power, conflict, and growth.

"You cannot control what you collide with. You can only control what you blend with."

— Kei Izawa

What You Will Experience

This is not a lecture. It is not a seminar. It is an immersive, hands-on afternon — part dojo, part executive workshop — in which Kei brings his framework to life in a way that no book or conference talk can replicate.

• On the mat: Experience the physical principles of Aikido — alignment, redirection, Musubi (the art of blending with opposing energy) — in a safe, welcoming environment. No experience necessary.
• In the room: Translate those same principles directly into Monday-morning boardroom strategy — navigating high-stakes conflict, leading without force, and breaking through organizational paralysis.
• The Victory Paradox: Understand why the leaders who win most consistently are those who have learned to stop fighting — and start redirecting.
• Japanese Business Practice: Explore the deeper principles — Musubi, Masakatsu Agatsu, Zanshin — that underpin both Aikido and the way Japan's most enduring companies are built and led.
• Peer conversation: Candid, off-the-record exchange with IBCircle's internationally experienced executives, founders, and investors.

Why This Matters Right Now

In a global business environment defined by volatility, tariff uncertainty, and geopolitical realignment, the instinct to push harder, to force outcomes, to out-muscle the competition is precisely the instinct that is exhausting your organization.

The Aikido Executive offers a fundamentally different model: lead from the center, redirect rather than resist, and achieve victory not by overpowering opposition but by rendering it irrelevant through alignment. This is not philosophy. It is a system — battle-tested in both the dojo and the boardroom.

"Fluidity beats force. The strongest position is not the most rigid — it is the most adaptable."

— Kei Izawa

WHY THIS ROOM IS DIFFERENT

★ TWICE AWARDED ★

Business Networking Organisation of the Year

Global Innovation & Excellence Awards · 2025 & 2026

IBCircle events attract global executives, serial founders, and sophisticated investors who value substance over small talk. Attendance is intimate by design — space is limited to preserve the quality of conversation and the depth of the experience.

For our international members and followers who cannot join us in person: this event will be documented and shared. The ideas of the Aikido Executive are as relevant in London, Tokyo, and Singapore as they are in Colorado.

EVENT DETAILS

• DATE/TIME: Thursday, June 25, 2026 – 5:00 to 7:30 PM
• LOCATION: One Dojo, 3005 Sterling Circle, Suite 150, Boulder, CO 80301
• FORMAT: Immersive session — dojo and executive workshop
• DRESS CODE: Comfortable clothing suitable for light movement
• REFRESHMENTS: Refreshments and light snacks

TICKETS

• $55 for IBCircle Members & Members' Guests and First-Time Guests
• $175 for Non-Members

RSVP below to begin registration.

Space is strictly limited · This event will sell out · IBCircle's standard no-refund policy applies