Evolution Driven by a Diverse and Flat Organizational Culture

After joining the Company in 2004, I spent two years in a sales position for leasing operations in the Equipment Leasing segment. I was then transferred to the International Business segment, where I was charged with supporting subsidiaries in China and other parts of Asia, which even included a four-year appointment in Thailand. I was later moved to the Ship Finance Division of the Specialty Financing segment before taking up my current position in Real Estate Finance Division II. When I was stationed in Thailand, my first child was born, which led to my returning to Japan to take three months of childcare leave.

I joined in 2005, at which time I was positioned in what would later become the Structured Finance Division. There, I gained experience in a wide range of areas, including securitization of notes and receivables, private finance initiatives, and inventory financing. It was in this position that I took maternity and childcare leave for my first child. I would then go on to do the same after the birth of my second child when working in the Specialty Finance Strategic Planning Division. In April 2023, I was transferred to the Environmental Infrastructure Strategic Planning Division of the newly established Environmental Infrastructure segment. In this position, I am responsible for planning and promoting strategies through tasks such as formulating sales targets and evaluation systems and monitoring our numerical data during set periods.

It was in 2006 when I joined, after which I spent around eight years in leasing sales targeting hospitals and clinics in the Medical & Healthcare Division. I was then transferred to a division that would later become part of the Environmental Infrastructure segment, where I assumed project finance duties. In April 2023, I was assigned to the Diversity Promotion Office in the Personnel Division. Here, I am trying to foster an organizational culture that empowers employees while allowing them to balance their work and private lives.

All of the career-track employees who joined the Company around the same time as me were men, and there were almost no female managers or non-Japanese employees at that time. Today, however, around half of new-graduate hires in any given year are women, and we have seen a rise in the number of female managers and non-Japanese colleagues. This is indicative of a massive change in the environment at Tokyo Century. Being able to expose myself to various ways of thinking thanks to this environment is really amazing.

The number of women is on the rise throughout the Company, thereby also increasing the number of employees who have experienced childbirth or child-rearing as well as the number of people who have taken up management positions after returning from childcare leave. These changes are a benefit of Tokyo Century’s giving employees the ability to work from home. This ability means that pregnant women can avoid the physical burden of commuting to and from the office, while people who need to be at home for their children do not necessarily need to take a full day off. Moreover, people working from home do not have to be shut out from what is going on in the office, which is important to the development of their careers.

I too have noticed the change in terms of the diversification of workstyles that Ms. Asami speaks of. Another big change has been the increase in mid-career hires. The resulting opportunities to interact with people who have diverse backgrounds not limited to finance has a positive influence by giving us exposure to different sets of values. This understanding of diverse values comes along naturally, which in turn helps us transition from a mindset of expecting things to be a certain way to one of realizing that there is no single answer to any given question. I truly feel that Tokyo Century as a whole has become more accepting to such diverse ways of thinking.

If we want employees to stay with us longer, it is definitely important that our vision resonates with them. In addition, feeling that one’s work is contributing to society is another way that people develop a sense of attachment toward their company. Conversely, if there is a lack of communication in the workplace, it is possible that even a small concern might prompt a quick decision to change jobs, as one will feel that they have no one to talk to about their concerns. This is why, in addition to career training, the Personnel Division arranges forums for exchanges between employees. Having someone to talk to can help prevent people from leaving, and I hope that we can continue to improve our workplace environment to ensure such openness.

I suspect that, when someone is looking to change company mid-career, they are more likely to apply for a position at a company that is promoting diversity and which is more accepting toward diverse values, because they will probably perceive such companies as being more conducive to allowing people to exercise their unique individual skills. The reverse is also likely true; companies that are less diverse will see fewer applicants.

Last year, my department welcomed a mid-career individual who was recruited from the real estate industry. I have learned a lot from this person as they have been proposing ideas from a completely different perspective than my department while also making use of their connections within the real estate industry. However, even if something seems new to us, it might be just a matter of course for someone from a different industry, and these differences in perspectives make talking with people from other industries incredibly engaging.