About MSA

MSA Partners was founded in 1983 by Michael Solomon under the name Michael Solomon Associates (MSA). Its name was changed to MSA Partners when Christopher Vickrey assumed leadership of the company in 2004. Asuka Ichikawa became MSA’s third president in 2023.

MSA’s mission is to help Japanese organizations develop and grow their business potential in the US market.

Leadership

Asuka Ichikawa, President

Asuka Ichikawa joined MSA in 2006. Since then, she has overseen publication of the company’s Beikoku Seiyaku Gyokai Shuho (US Pharmaceutical Industry Weekly Report) and Beikoku Bio Gyokai Geppo (US Bio Industry Monthly Report) publications. Asuka closely follows the US pharmaceutical and biotech industries, the pharmaceutical distribution industry, and regulatory trends for drugs in the US, and also has extensive experience writing research reports and giving lectures on these topics. She assumed ownership of MSA in 2023. Asuka is a graduate of Waseda University.

Chris Vickrey, Vice President of Communications Support Services

Chris Vickrey joined MSA in 2001. Even before becoming president in 2004, Chris was the driving force behind the successful launch of MSA’s life sciences division. For MSA’s own publications and on behalf of clients, he has interviewed hundreds of biopharmaceutical executives, academic researchers, and government officials on issues ranging from business strategy to scientific discovery and public policy.

Prior to joining MSA, Chris had extensive experience in the financial services industry in both Japan and the US, working at a predecessor institution of today’s JPMorgan Chase, where he eventually headed the bank’s emerging markets group in Tokyo. Chris has BA/MA degrees in economics from Boston University and an MBA in finance from Columbia University. He also studied at Waseda University in Tokyo and is fluent in Japanese.