Entrepreneurship Roundtable: Naoko Ikeda
View on Luma🍷 Building a Life on Your Terms: An Interactive Roundtable with Naoko Ikeda
About the Session
Join us for a unique blend of entrepreneurship and wine education as we welcome Naoko Ikeda, a Wine and Sake Specialist, for an interactive roundtable experience. This isn’t your typical speaking event; it’s an intimate conversation where business insights meet the art of wine tasting.
Naoko will share her remarkable career journey from banking at BNP Paribas in Tokyo to building her own wine education and consulting business across multiple continents. Her story is particularly resonant for many women, as following her husband to Hong Kong in 2006 became the catalyst for her entrepreneurial journey. She will open up about how major life transitions and family considerations led her to discover self-employment and ultimately pivot from corporate life to building a business around her passion for wine. Now based in Paris and traveling regularly to Hong Kong, she will guide us through both her entrepreneurial journey and a curated wine tasting experience.
What We’ll Talk About
💡 Making a major mid-career pivot, from banking to wine
👨👩👧👦 How family transitions can become entrepreneurial opportunities
🌏 Building a global business across cultures (Japan, France, and Hong Kong)
🍷 Turning passion and expertise into multiple revenue streams
🚀 Building a new business around your passion as a foreigner
🌱 The journey from employee to self-employed entrepreneur
Interactive Experience
Wine Tasting (Optional): All guests are welcome, regardless of drinking preference. Please note that those who would like to participate in the wine tasting will be asked to pay a $370 fee to cover the cost of the wines. Naoko will personally select a special lineup for the tasting!
Please be advised that all payments are final and non-refundable once paid, even in the event of non-attendance.
About the Guest
Ms. Naoko Ikeda is a Wine and Sake Specialist and WSET-certified educator with over 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. She began her career at BNP Paribas in Tokyo, later working for a French trading company and a branding agency before following her husband to Hong Kong in 2006, where she became self-employed and pivoted to pursue her passion for wine.
Fluent in Japanese, French, and English, Naoko has hands-on winery experience in South Africa and Spain. She has worked as Export Manager for a French winery and served as Brand Ambassador for Champagne Drappier from 2015 to 2024. She is also an Alcoholic Beverage Education and Promotion Specialist for the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). Currently based in Paris, she travels to Hong Kong two to three times a year to teach at HKU SPACE and collaborate with major wine importers.
About entR
Entrepreneurship Roundtable (entR) is a private community for women founders and aspiring founders, created for real conversations about building businesses without the pitching or selling. Each session focuses on a single theme, from fundraising and negotiation to scaling and exits.
Founded by Tina Law and Emily Ho, entR was born from a shared desire to create a safe, honest space for women to connect, exchange lessons, and grow alongside one another.
Venue Sponsored By
Klipy and The Hive
Event Guidelines
Admission: This event is by approval only. Approved guests will receive a confirmation email and calendar invite. Invitations are non-transferable.
Respect and conduct: Attendees must follow all community and venue rules. Respectful and professional behavior is required at all times. Harassment, discrimination, unwelcome advances, intimidation, or inappropriate recording will not be tolerated. If you experience or witness a violation, please notify the event host immediately. Violations may result in removal from the event and exclusion from future invitations.
Community values: No pitching, hard selling, or unsolicited promotion. Respect the privacy and confidentiality of fellow participants.
Safety and liability: Participation is voluntary and at your own risk. Organizers, sponsors, and venues assume no liability for injury, lost or stolen belongings, or damages.
Media: By attending, you consent to being photographed, filmed, or recorded for promotional and marketing purposes.
Communications: By registering, you agree to receive event-related updates. You may unsubscribe at any time.
