Nishida Circle

Strategic guidance for a connected, sustainable logistics future

The Nishida Circle is the strategic advisory board of the IKIGAI project. Bringing together world-class experts from industry, academia and public policy, it provides high-level guidance on accelerating the Physical Internet vision and achieving zero-emission freight transport by 2050.

The name “Nishida Circle” comes from the French expression Nouvelles Idées Soutenues par l’Honnêteté et l’Innovation pour un Développement Avancé, meaning “New Ideas Supported by Honesty and Innovation for Advanced Development”, which reflects the group’s mission to inspire forward-thinking change in logistics.

Purpose and role

The Nishida Circle is not a hands-on management body. Instead, it sets the project’s strategic direction, shares global best practices and connects IKIGAI to international networks of innovators and decision-makers. Members act as proponents for the project, ensuring that IKIGAI’s work meets the needs of the logistics industry and the long-term objectives of the Twin Transition.

Over the course of the project, the Nishida Circle will:

• • Provide input to the PI Norm to ensure its global relevance and industry uptake.
  • Contribute to shaping the governance of the PI Coalition.
  • Validate the PI Genome as a realistic path for scaling up Logistics Innovations.
  • Share insights at keynote sessions, high-level panels, and strategic events.
  • Support the linkage between logistics decarbonisation and digital transformation strategies.

Who are the members?

The Nishida Circle comprises global leaders who are renowned for their vision, influence and proven contributions to the transformation of logistics. Their diverse backgrounds in the private sector, public authorities and research institutions ensure that the strategic advice they provide is balanced, practical and forward-looking.

Current members include:

• • Michael Archer, Customer Collaboration Director, CHEP, Chair of Collaboration and Co-operation (Honorary) at ALICE 
  • Philippe de Carné, Executive Vice President, GEODIS
  • Prof. Alan McKinnon, Professor of Logistics, Kühne Logistics University
  • Prof. Benoit Montreuil, Director of the Physical Internet Center and PI Lab, U.S.
  • Prof. Takayuki Mori, Chairman, Japan Physical Internet Center
  • Francois Tainturier, Direction Générale des Infrastructures, des Transports et des Mobilité
  • Angelique Terrien, Vice President-Product Supply, Europe Market Operations, Procter & Gamble