CEO of Manga Productions, a subsidiary of the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation “Misk,” since March 2017, Saudi Arabia.

Essam holds several positions, including:

• Managing Director of Manga International in Tokyo since April 2023.
• Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Manga Arabia Magazine, part of the Saudi Research and Media Group, since June 2020.
• Co-Chair of the Executive Committee at the Mohammed bin Salman Center for Future Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo since September 2020.
• Member of the international Jury for the WIPO Global Awards since April 2024.
• Columnist for the “Astrolabe” column in Al Riyadh newspaper since December 2013.

Essam completed his academic studies in Japan, where he also began his professional career. He served as Deputy Director and then Director of the Culture and Media Department at Arabic Institute in Tokyo. He later joined the diplomatic corps at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Japan, where he handled interpretation for official meetings between the Kingdom and Japan.

Between 2008 and 2015, he served as Cultural Attaché of Saudi Arabia in Japan, during which he established the Saudi Cultural Office in Japan, oversaw more than 700 Saudi students in Japanese universities and institutions, and helped build partnerships with Japanese companies to facilitate training and employment opportunities for Saudi students.

He has also held multiple positions in companies in both Saudi Arabia and Japan, including:

• Senior Advisor at TMSUK in Japan, specializing in smart solutions and robotics;
• Director at Arinat, a subsidiary of the Saudi Research and Media Group;
• Chief Advisor to the Chairman and CEO at SNK (Japan) for video games;
• Member of the Board at both Harakat Company and the General Authority for Culture.

Academically, Essam has served as Associate Professor in the Department of Business Administration at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, King Abdulaziz University, and as Visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo. He has published numerous articles and research papers in Arabic, Japanese, and English.

He completed his academic education at Waseda University, earning a PhD in the field of Technology and Innovation Management in 2008, a Master’s degree in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering in 2005, and a Bachelor’s degree in the same field in 2002.