Carrying out my work with an optimistic attitude, while being careful to keep a positive outlook.
R&D Foundation
Hironobu Wakui
Organizational management support for the R&D Group
I worked in human resources and general affairs after performing cost management at plants, and am now involved in various operations that are the foundation of business management.
I specialized in commercial science in my university and graduate school studies, and entered the JT Group in 2014. Just as I was thinking that I wanted to join a company who would give kind communication to support the understanding of the company by students, a representative from the JT Group spoke to me and asked me directly, “Would you like to go to a coffee shop and talk?” During that conversation I felt a sense of ease and I was able to learn well about the JT Group, so it led to my decision to join it. After entering, I was assigned to a raw material processing plant and was responsible for cost management. I also worked actively on improvements toward cost reduction. I later became responsible for matters at the plant such as operations related to personnel and labor, and management of English language training for the plant staff members.
From 2017 I was stationed at the Head Office, where I was responsible for personnel operations which applied to its roughly 8,000 employees (at that time). Beginning with the promotion the active role of women, I investigated, planned, and executed measures to arrange an environment in which diverse human resources could be active. I was also responsible for JT-Next Leaders Program to provide young employees whose future activity was highly anticipated with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets required for them in their roles as businesspeople. This training was based on personnel development schemes with consideration for strong commitment by executives. It had the format of having each participant think for themselves about long-term business strategies, and then receive feedback on them from executives in the tobacco business. Currently, I am in charge of governance and compliance operations in the R&D Group.
Keeping a positive attitude even toward difficult situations.
Despite the differing standpoints of plants, the Head Office business headquarters, and the R&D Group, I have been involved with the management of our entire organization. In this work, I feel that my connections with others and my acquisition of knowledge and wisdom help to widen my perspective and raise the level of my viewpoint, and I have a distinct sensation of my own individual growth as a person. During my long involvement in personnel operations, I have made efforts to actively acquire knowledge about laws such as the Labor Standards Act.
In the operations related to compliance and governance that I am currently responsible for, I play a role like an “in-house police officer,” often calling matters to attention and informing others, “This kind of thing is actually prohibited by law.” Still, if I just take a blunt stance of saying “It can't be done,” it will never be possible to realize the proposals that members have thought of with a positive attitude and spirit of challenge toward research and development, and even the motivation of those members may be weakened. Therefore, I am careful to always keep an aggressive mindset myself and carry out my work so that I can support others such as by suggesting alternatives, with as positive an attitude as possible.
I want to work to maintain and strengthen the business foundation that supports the growth of our businesses and company.
In my work, what I always keep in mind is my desire to support and be of use to people in the company who have concerns or problems. I would be delighted if I could encourage people in some way, such as by providing triggers for employees to take further steps forward and create changes that bring about positive action.
Although I am a member of the R&D Group, my awareness is not limited only to my own division, and I am careful not to forget to be conscious of the entire JT Group. By carrying out initiatives that can assist in further strengthening the foundation of the overall our company, I believe I can contribute to the growth of business and therefore the growth of our company. Even if we have outstanding business strategies and talents who can execute them, those strategies cannot be implemented if their groundwork, or in other words our business foundation, were to crumble. If our talents were to run out of provisions and be unable to act, or if their resources are not provided at the right times and they cannot move on ... To ensure that this does not happen, I want to do everything I can to maintain and strengthen the foundation that supports the growth of our tobacco business.