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Effective URL: https://www.inside.hitachi.com/_ct/17720914
Submission: On October 24 via api from RU — Scanned from JP
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* 文字を大きく * * ホーム * Management * Digital * Environment * Global * Diversity Equity & Inclusion * Employee Spotlight * Others * Search * Japanese Printing allowed. To be disclosed within Hitachi Group. Inside Hitachi Management Digital Environment Global Diversity Equity & Inclusion Employee Spotlight Others * Search * Japanese 1. HOME 2. Executive Messages 3. 【One Hitachi Journey】 EVP Interviews - Part 1: Hitachi & I 1. HOME 2. Executive Messages 3. 【One Hitachi Journey】 EVP Interviews - Part 1: Hitachi & I 【ONE HITACHI JOURNEY】 EVP INTERVIEWS - PART 1: HITACHI & I C 2024-09-17 Chihiro Kanazawa @ hitachi-internalnews-en Executive MessagesManagementHighlights We interviewed four Executive Vice Presidents who are leading the Hitachi Group toward sustainable growth: Mr. Jun Abe, Mr. Alistair Dormer, Mr. Toshiaki Tokunaga, and Dr. Brice Koch. In addition to a video message, we are publishing a series of three articles titled "One Hitachi EVP Interviews" to share their insights and messages with all Hitachi employees. The Hitachi Group is addressing social issues worldwide through its business operations. How did these four EVPs, who lead the diverse strategies and businesses of an organization with 270,000 employees, come to join Hitachi? And what values have guided their work? In the first installment of our "One Hitachi EVP Interviews" series, we explore the theme "Hitachi & I," uncovering lesser-known stories from their diverse personal journeys. FINDING A ROLE AT AN UNEXPECTED ASSIGNMENT Mr. Jun Abe joined Hitachi as a fresh graduate in 1984. Despite studying accounting in university and hoping for a sales or accounting position, he was assigned to the Software Division, working on middleware development. He chuckles, saying it's "unthinkable now," but his assignment came after mentioning in his job interview that he had created accounting software for his graduation thesis in financial accounting. His new role was challenging. "I was surrounded by brilliant engineers. Feeling outmatched, I even considered studying for the CPA(Certified Public Accountant) exam and changing jobs," Mr. Abe recalls. Later, however, a turning point came during his training in the home appliance division. Working on applications built on middleware from the Software Division gave him the perspective of "using our own software from a user's standpoint." "After that, I could better explain issues or bugs in our products from the customer's viewpoint. This helped me realize my role in the IT department, which was a significant breakthrough," Mr. Abe reflects. FROM MILITARY TO THE RAILWAY INDUSTRY Mr. Alistair Dormer began his career as an engineer in the British Royal Navy. He experienced combat and narrowly escaped when his ship was hit by a missile. "I learned to swim quite well," he jokes, despite what was undoubtedly a harrowing experience. After ten years in the military, Mr. Dormer sought a new challenge and joined aircraft manufacturer British Aerospace, transitioning from engineering to sales. Selling aircraft worldwide, he learned "how to close deals and win in a challenging market." He recalls a $1.5 billion deal in South Africa that "contributed to local job creation and black empowerment after the end of apartheid." Mr. Dormer joined Hitachi in 2003. At the time, he was working in Alstom Transport U.K. Ltd. when he heard that Hitachi Europe was hiring for its railway division. He saw it as "a great opportunity to work for a company with excellent technology." ASPIRING AN IT ENGINEER - DISCOVERING THAT IT IS ABOUT "WORKING WITH PEOPLE" In contrast to Mr. Dormer, Mr. Toshiaki Tokunaga says that "I couldn't imagine working for any company other than Hitachi." "I was born in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture, the birthplace of Hitachi, and my father also worked for Hitachi. Most of my elementary school classmates' parents were also involved with the company." For Mr. Tokunaga, who grew up in such an environment, it was a natural progression to aim for a job at Hitachi. At university, he studied fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, with an awareness of Hitachi's traditional heavy electrical engineering. However, when he was job hunting, his father, who was an employee at Hitachi, told him, "IT is the future," and he changed his career aspirations to become a systems engineer. At the time, he imagined that IT work was all about interacting with computers. But as he researched further, he discovered that it was actually a field where human-centered thinking was indispensable. This realization appealed to his social nature. After joining the company, he was assigned to the IT department. He says, "It was interesting to be able to work while experiencing different corporate cultures vicariously. The environment was a very open, and there were many points of contact with departments in charge of various industrial fields." FROM FRANCE TO SWISS UNIVERSITY AND COMPANY Dr. Brice Koch joined Hitachi after meeting Hiroaki Nakanishi (former Chairman of Hitachi) while working for ABB, a major Swiss technology & engineering company. It was through this connection that he was later asked to help promote globalization. Born in France, Dr. Koch studied materials engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, earning a Ph.D. After working as an associate professor, he entered the business world. He later decided to change his nationality, feeling that "Swiss culture just fits me. "Switzerland and Japan share cultural similarities. Both countries have few natural resources, necessitating hard work. This has fostered strong values like quality, honesty, diligence, and responsibility among the Swiss, values that resonate with the Japanese and myself." DECEPTION "DON'T WORK" Each of these EVPs took a unique journey to their current positions. What core values have shaped their careers and personal growth? Dr. Koch learned about organizational development and leadership at ABB, a global company. He emphasizes "intellectual honesty" based on this experience. "Not reporting problems or tweaking facts, doesn't work. On the contrary, if you discuss things honestly, including the problems, you should be able to find a solution in 99% of cases." GROWING THROUGH MAKING YOUR OWN DECISIONS On the other hand, Mr. Abe emphasizes the importance of making your own decisions. Although he was devoted to rowing in high school and university, Mr. Abe never served as captain or vice-captain. "I wasn't originally a leader type, so I'm surprised that I've become an Executive Vice President," he says. However, he adds that he has "been practicing decision-making since his early career." "In an environment where you're responsible for the results, making your own decisions allows you to truly recognize mistakes and grow. I was able to grow fortunately because Hitachi has a culture of developing people through work." MAINTAINING THE MOTIVATION TO TAKE ON CHALLENGES Mr. Dormer says, "The worst thing is not taking on challenges." He continues, "Risk management is important, but you should take on challenges as much as possible. The important thing is to keep your motivation to take on challenges. If you don't make mistakes, you won't learn anything." When Mr. Dormer joined Hitachi Europe, the London office consisted of just him and three Japanese engineers. However, "to develop new markets, we created new services like maintenance." The number of employees grew dramatically, reaching about 20,000 twenty years later. Mr. Dormer explains that "even if things don't go well, we respond with sincerity, and even if it takes a little time or costs a little more, we always satisfy our customers." He reveals that the secret to success is "to continue to challenge yourself until you have aligned Hitachi's strengths with the market." STEP BACK AND THINK IN TOUGH TIMES Challenges inevitably come with failures. How do you handle tough situations? Mr. Tokunaga's answer is to "thoroughly view your situation objectively." The important thing is what you learn from failures and tough situations. "I start thinking: What is the situation now? What are we struggling with? Why did this happen? What should have been done? How should we deal with this going forward?" he explains. "I step back from 'myself' to view the whole situation objectively. Sometimes I even write things down on paper to organize them visually." Mr. Tokunaga says that he has always had an optimistic personality, not worrying about the small details. He believes that "no matter what the difficulty, there is always a solution." Additionally, he doesn't give up and continues to look for solutions that move things in a positive direction, even if only a little. He told us that he values this kind of mindset. This is the first part of the interview. This time, we focused on the theme "Hitachi & I," sharing episodes from the four EVPs' experiences before and after joining Hitachi. We hope you found this insightful and can use it as a reference when considering your own career and growth. The second part will be published in early October. Please look forward to it! Jun AbeRepresentative Executive Officer, Executive Vice President and Executive Officer, Assistant to the President [Industrial Digital Business, Water & Environment Business, Industrial Products Business, Industrial Equipment Systems Business, Building Systems Business, Smart Life & Ecofriendly Systems Business, Measurement and Analysis Systems Business, and Healthcare Business], and General Manager of Connective Industries DivisionAlistair DormerRepresentative Executive Officer, Executive Vice President and Executive Officer, Assistant to the President [Railway Systems Business, Nuclear Energy Business, Energy Business, and Power Grids Business], and General Manager of Green Energy & Mobility Strategy Planning DivisionToshiaki TokunagaRepresentative Executive Officer, Executive Vice President and Executive Officer, Assistant to the President [Growth Strategies, Cloud Services Platform Business, Digital Engineering Business, Financial Institutions Business, Government, Public Corporation and Social Infrastructure Systems Business, Defense Systems Business, Social Innovation Business Promotion, and Digital Strategies], and General Manager of Digital Systems & Services DivisionBrice KochRepresentative Executive Officer, Executive Vice President and Executive Officer, Assistant to the President [Management Strategies, Regional Strategies, Investment Strategies, Risk Management, Corporate Export Regulation, Cost Structure Reform and Information Security Management], CSO, General Manager of Strategy Planning Division, Head of Regional Strategies, CRMO, and General Manager of Investment Management Division / Chairman of the Board of Hitachi Europe Ltd.*Positions of the four Executive Vice Presidents interviewed Related Articles： Past articles about One Hitachi are available here! Please take a look! * 【One Hitachi Journey】What is "One Hitachi"？ * 【One Hitachi Journey】Hitachi Energy x GlobalLogic：CCC Project (Customer support using generative AI) * 【One Hitachi Journey】EVP Messages - To achieve strong growth with One Hitachi C 2024-09-17 Chihiro Kanazawa @ hitachi-internalnews-en Executive MessagesManagementHighlights 関連記事 * Hitachi Social Innovation Forum 2024 JAPAN, the largest Hitachi Group event - Overview and Hitachi Group Employee Exclusive Event Information Chihiro Kanazawa @ hitachi-internalnews-en * Hitachi Leadership Pledge on DEI Chihiro Kanazawa @ hitachi-internalnews-en * Hitachi Investor Day 2024 Chihiro Kanazawa @ hitachi-internalnews-en * 【One Hitachi Journey】 EVP Interviews - Part 3: Toward growth with One Hitachi Chihiro Kanazawa @ hitachi-internalnews-en Contact for Inquiries If you have any questions or comments, please contact us from the link below. 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