Masaru Tahara is the general manager for the Office of HR Leaders' Forum at PERSOL Research and Consulting Co., Ltd.

After working at a bank for four years, Masaru began working at Fuji Xerox Learning Institute (now PERSOL Research and Consulting) as a salesperson, coordinator of human resource development solutions, and an instructional designer and facilitator. With about 20 years of experience in talent development, he has designed, coordinated, and facilitated training programs in sales, leadership development, and customer service for major companies in automotive, precision instrument, IT, and service industries. He has also worked as a manager in sales and service development departments.

Masaru values the importance of assessing workplace needs and then working with clients and other facilitators to design, develop, and deliver training that accounts for organizational context.

In addition to his practical experience, he earned a master's degree in practical education from the Graduate School of Social Design . At the graduate school, his research focused on the transfer of training. He also graduated from the Faculty of Law at Waseda University, where he studied labor law.