(BIVN) – Governor David Ige finally made his pick for the second Hawaii Island representative to serve on the University of Hawaii Board of Regents.

Consultant Douglas Shinsato was one of the four candidates originally presented in March 2017. Shinsato is a corporate executive with business ties to Japan and Asia.

According to the Governor’s media release:

Shinsato is co-founder of Anthill Ventures, a cross-border incubator and advisor to technology start-ups in India, Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States. Anthill focuses on tele-education, tele-health, sustainable food production, and cyber-security. Shinsato and his global partners focus on innovative digital technologies that aim to improve people’s lives.

Shinsato is also a member of the Board of Directors of Creative Intelligence Associates, one of Japan’s top branding strategy firms. The consulting firm advises clients on how to leverage or transform their branding and messaging strategies to increase customer satisfaction, revenues and profits.

Previously, Shinsato served as president for leading technology companies such as PTC Japan and as vice president-Asia Pacific for Autodesk. He was also senior partner at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

“I am honored to be appointed to the Board of Regents. I look forward to working with my fellow Regents on behalf of the UH and its extended community,” said Shinsato.

Shinsato has a B.A. and MBA from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctor degree from the Stanford Law School.

He is married to Jennifer Lindsay-Shinsato. They have two adult children and one grandchild.

The governor was sharply criticized for taking so long to make his pick, missing a March 31 deadline. He told Sherry Bracken on a recent Island Issues radio program that he wanted to meet with all four candidates before making his decision and he was having difficulty connecting with one of the names.

State Senator Kai Kahele, the chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee who was upset by the delay, had the chance to introduce Shinsato to the crowd gathered at a town hall meeting at the University of Hawaii-Hilo on Wednesday evening.

If confirmed by the state Senate, Shinsato will complete the term of the late Barry Mizuno. The term expires on June 30, 2018.