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Creating Creative Spaces to Drive Collaboration and Increase Impact

One of GHIT's major roles is to increase Japan’s presence on the international stage. Although I have taken part in various international conferences over the years, I have often felt that Japan’s presence was weak overseas, and that Japan lacked assertiveness.

For example, when an international conference is held, people from other Asian regions often emphasize that they want to be invited to the conference — no matter what it takes. But Japanese people tend not to show interest, even when high-level people are attending the event, which I consider very unfortunate. However, I realized that it is not that Japanese people are not interested, but rather that they do not know how to make their presence felt at international conferences.

After noticing this, I began thinking about what kind of spaces would enable Japanese people to demonstrate their capabilities. I believe that creating such a space is one of my, and GHIT's, roles — so I'm very happy when we are appreciated for “providing a space” where people find strategic partners (as the Medicines for Malaria Venture and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative answered in their fifth anniversary interviews). How GHIT responds to the increasing expectations from those around us will be both challenging and interesting.

A Cross-Sectional Approach to Finance

My job at GHIT is, in a nutshell, overseeing finance. Specifically, I take a cross-sectional look at accounting, finance, internal control, audits, and the like, along with GHIT’s Chief Operating Officer, to create a system that is focused on the organization now, as well as five to ten years from now. I look at the current state of the organization from a financial perspective, think about where we want to go in the future, decide what we need to do to get there, make plans, and implement them. The sense that I had even before joining GHIT — that this is very much a job worth doing — remains the same today.

I also feel that I am making use of my experiences and strengths within the organization. For example, it is very rewarding when I connect people and organizations that each possess unique know-how and skills to help them maximize impact — impact that would be out of reach if each party worked alone. I am thrilled to see something new happen as a result of these new partnerships. While I do not have expertise in medicine or public health, I am very happy that I can help connect people who possess both expertise and passion.

My experience working in both Japan and the United States has been very useful. Some of the most critical elements of professional culture — speed, priority, and overall workstyle — can be very different in different countries. In particular, the way things are done in Japan is often different from other countries, diverging from global standards. GHIT works globally but is a Japanese organization; we are expected to work in a way that is in line with Japanese culture while simultaneously maintaining our place as a global innovator and international institution. So we need to adapt to many cultural backgrounds when thinking about how best to work with Japanese and overseas stakeholders. The experience I have cultivated in my previous work is very useful in this context.

GHIT: Making the Impossible Possible

GHIT’s appeal is in the strength of heart of our chairman, Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa; our CEO, Dr. BT Slingsby; and of our partners, funders, and staff. Working with experienced, highly motivated people often causes people to notice things that they had not perceived before. I am deeply thankful for an environment where I can work under the direction of visionary leaders and see things from a high-level perspective, which I think is one of GHIT’s advantages. At first, I wondered how long I would stay in Japan, but once I became immersed in this exciting job, I realized that five years had passed by in the blink of an eye.

GHIT provides a space in which impossible things are possible. This goes for the staff as well. Motivation and willpower can create opportunities to take on new challenges, and there are many opportunities to grow here. With the caliber of staff coming together within the organization, the entire team is feeling the thrill of achieving something collectively. This has allowed the organization to grow from simply an idea into what it is now in just five years.

A Productive Approach to Work and Life

In life, we all strive for happiness. The important thing in any endeavor is to ask, “WHY? Why do you do this work?” It is very important to keep that “why” in mind, in addition to achieving results. It's the same for professional endeavors and in private life; I want to spend time on the things that will enable me to grow. Hearing live music and traveling are how I most like to spend my time away from work; they help me expand my horizons.

As I mentioned, I really enjoy creating spaces where talented people can demonstrate their abilities, and not just in relation to work. I love motivated people, so I would like to provide opportunities to trigger that motivation. There are many situations in life — in both professional life and private life — in which we don't pursue our goals, even if our desire is strong, thinking that they are impossible to achieve. But there are ways to make what seems impossible, possible. We, as an organization, want to help people, of course. But I also want to do that as an individual citizen. I would like to create opportunities for motivated people to grow in their careers and in their lives outside of work and help them move forward.

The affiliations and positions listed in this interview are at the time of publication of the interview in 2017.