About Management Jobs
Q. When making tough business decisions where not all parties can be satisfied, how do you approach decision-making and manage any resulting conflicts?
Such situations are undoubtedly challenging, but they lie at the heart of management. My guiding principle is always to ask, “Does this policy serve the customer?” We produce APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients), so the ultimate goal is to consider whether our work benefits the patients who rely on the final drug product.
Another principle is fairness. I ensure that I genuinely listen to all perspectives—not just as a formality, but with real intent to understand. There are always blind spots when making decisions alone. By actively listening to others and asking, “What’s the underlying intent behind this person’s viewpoint?” I often uncover valuable insights.
Consistency in decision-making criteria is also critical. Without it, subordinates may struggle to understand the basis of your decisions.
Q. Regarding AGC’s Barcelona site, you mentioned that its global-standard operations facilitated a smooth integration. Was this something you knew before the acquisition, or was it a positive surprise?
We had a good sense of this during the due diligence phase. However, the real challenge—which remains ongoing—was transforming the site from a cost center to a full-fledged business entity. While the shift from a manufacturing base to a CDMO changes the business model, the work on the ground remains largely the same, rooted in a culture of delivering what is assigned with precision.
Becoming a CDMO, however, requires flexibility and proactivity to adapt to each client’s unique requirements and timelines. It also involves building and strengthening new functions such as project management and sales. Hiring external talent has been crucial in bringing fresh perspectives, which has helped stimulate and drive change within the organization.
Q. How have you translated such cultural transformations into actionable changes on the ground?
Our HR department has led the cultural transformation project over the past five years, implementing a wide range of initiatives. One key focus has been ensuring that participation isn’t limited to English-speaking managers who relay the message down to their teams. Instead, we’ve actively involved supervisors and team leads in the programs.
We strive to avoid creating a divide between English-speaking managers and the rest of the workforce. While English is used in management, we work to ensure that language differences don’t create barriers within the organization.
Q. As IESE students, we arrived in Barcelona with certain preconceived notions about Spanish people and companies. Living here has often positively challenged those stereotypes. From your perspective as a business leader, what are your thoughts on Spanish culture and its economy?
I’ve been amazed by many aspects of Spanish culture. One striking feature is that values Japan once held dear—such as family, community, and human relationships—are still deeply ingrained here.
At the same time, Barcelona is an incredibly open city. A friend of mine, who opened a shop here, decided on Barcelona after just two short business trips. He told me he’d visited numerous European cities, but Barcelona stood out because he never once had a negative experience here.
Even during the height of COVID-19, when friends in other European countries faced anti-Asian discrimination, my family and I never encountered anything unpleasant in Barcelona. The climate and the relaxed attitude of the people contribute to a less aggressive atmosphere, which I find invaluable, even if it occasionally causes inconveniences.
Q. The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly focusing on drug discovery, while CDMOs/CMOs continue to see strong demand. However, competition among these service providers is also intensifying. What do you think will be key to differentiation in this landscape?
The key lies in doing the basics exceptionally well while ensuring profitability. The CDMO market is growing, and geopolitical trends, such as diversifying away from reliance on China, are favorable for Japan and Europe.
AGC, for example, has a strong differentiation in fluorination technology, which is critical as about 30% of pharmaceutical compounds contain fluorine. However, simply producing materials has low entry barriers, and many companies are entering the space.
The small-molecule API sector is highly fragmented, with even top players holding only a few percentage points of the market. True differentiation comes from combining top-tier pharma-level quality with flexibility, agility, and cost competitiveness. Few companies can achieve this balance, but doing so guarantees success.
At AGC, we emphasize our “200 years of experience,” which combines 100 years in chemical products, 60 years of top pharma-level operations at our Spanish facility, and 40 years in the CDMO business.
Our exceptional track record includes five FDA inspections in the past 20 years without receiving a single Form 483. This achievement reflects the high retention rate of our workforce—1.8% voluntary turnover, with 70% of employees having over 10 years of service and an average tenure of 15 years. This stability is vital in avoiding common pitfalls, such as losing skilled workers after acquiring a state-of-the-art facility, leaving it underutilized.
Advice for younger generations
Q. Taking on leadership roles in acquired overseas companies seems like an ideal global career path for those in Japanese companies. Do you have any advice for younger generations (especially those in their 20s to early 30s) aspiring to such a career?
The most critical factor is what you do in your 20s and 30s. This doesn’t mean you need to drastically change your career or pursue something completely new. Instead, focus on deeply understanding the purpose behind your work and thoroughly examining the surrounding context. Ask yourself, “Why does this task exist?” and “What is happening in the broader picture?”
The key is to think beyond the scope of your assigned role. Don’t aim to simply score 100% in what’s expected of you—strive for 150% or even more by exceeding expectations. One benchmark I suggest (though it may not align with everyone’s MBA mindset) is to ask yourself, “What would I be worth in the job market?” You might think, “I’m doing all this work, but my pay doesn’t reflect it.” However, that imbalance can actually be a positive sign—it indicates you’re delivering more value than your role formally requires. Whether your work seems flashy or mundane, your perspective and approach can expand its depth and breadth.
Additionally, while it’s natural to plan your career path meticulously in business school, life often doesn’t go as planned. Even ten years ago, I couldn’t have imagined working in Spain. The career paths visible today are not the only options, and being overly rigid about them can be counterproductive. Instead, take a genuine interest in your work, constantly ask “why,” and dive deep into it—you’ll find both enjoyment and learning along the way.
Q. How has what you learned during your MBA and the network you built helped in your current role?
To be honest, very little of what I learned has been directly applicable. For instance, when I first went to Tennessee after graduating, I was completely overwhelmed despite my MBA education.
However, the MBA was invaluable in honing my ability to analyze situations from multiple perspectives. As future leaders, you’ll often need to make decisions based on limited input. The key is to expand that input—turning one piece of information into a broader understanding by viewing it from various angles. The ability to think multidimensionally and comprehensively is one of the greatest values of an MBA.
As for the network, I’ve rarely leveraged it directly in my work. I believe friendships and work connections should remain separate. That said, the greatest benefit of networking was benchmarking myself against high-caliber individuals.
I recall one class on operations where a younger classmate with just two years of consulting experience described manufacturing processes with such precision that it felt like he had been on the factory floor. It was humbling. Yet, I also realized that my firsthand experience gave me an edge in other ways. Since then, I’ve felt less intimidated, whether dealing with CEOs or other senior leaders.
Q. What career paths are most effective for fostering the qualities needed in top executives? Some companies emphasize specialization within a single division, while others promote job rotation to expose individuals to diverse experiences early on. What are your thoughts on these approaches?
In Japan, the generalist model is prevalent, and it has its merits—it allows for great adaptability. However, if you rely on it too much, you may lose the habit of thinking critically. I believe it’s essential to consciously establish a personal axis or focus.
While it can be challenging to create this axis when working across various roles, I deliberately chose finance as mine. Even when my specific job responsibilities didn’t align perfectly, I took every opportunity to gain relevant experience, such as managing overseas subsidiaries and analyzing balance sheets and profit-and-loss statements. During my MBA, I prioritized finance-related courses and even pursued the U.S. CPA qualification. In this way, I proactively built my axis.
Q. Respect and hope seem to be central to your success in M&A. However, crafting a unique yet credible vision of “hope” can be challenging. How did you approach this?
One fortunate aspect was that AGC’s investment in this site aligned with its strategy to expand the CDMO business. If the integration had been purely cost-cutting-driven, it would have been much harder.
Even in such a scenario, I would have focused on the customers first. A business exists because it provides value to society, and the key is whether each function contributes to that value. Conversations with stakeholders can reveal this, but ultimately, it boils down to human touch and integrity.
For MBA students aspiring to leadership, you’ll eventually reach a point where your human touch becomes critical. For companies with annual revenue of around $500 million, you can still maintain personal connections. But once a company grows beyond $1 billion, you’ll need a different set of skills to manage effectively. Even the most capable leaders face challenges at that scale. Overcoming them may still hinge on human touch, integrity and leadership.
Interviewers
Class of 2025：Ojima, Mayumi and Yokoyama
Class of 2026：Sakai and Kuriyama
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