Visions - Spring 2015 - (Page 5)

Regarding western business practices, in my past three assignments in the U.S., my mission has been to encourage innovation that is profitable, which will create opportunities for the future. Now having said that,"speed" in the U.S. is crucial. Things move much faster in the U.S., in the western world in general, than in Japan. Things are also very transparent, and there is not much grey area. So, I believe speed, fairness, and clarity are the western business practices we should integrate with our Japanese principles. It can be a very powerful match. Our people have countless ideas that we as a company need to tap into through better communication and better collaboration. Working together, we can generate new ideas and continue to make our company stronger and an exciting place to work. How do you see the company and its employees fulfilling the Sumitomo management principle of "Contributing Broadly to Society?" The company certainly contributes financially, but it is also up to each individual in the company to find a way to contribute to society. I would like each person to be socially responsible and contribute to society and the environment through their own actions. Social Responsibility also means "Health, Safety & Environment" (HSE) which should be a priority in business and, through our corporate culture, we should encourage this. The safety and health of employees and the protection of our environment should always be a primary concern when conducting business. If it is not, we should avoid that business. We need to contribute broadly to society through community engagement and contributions, but we also need to do our business with a responsible and sustainable vision. What do you anticipate will be our imminent challenges as a company? Given the fluctuations in the commodity and oil markets, our mineral resources and energy business has serious challenges, and we must deal with the current drastic drop in oil prices that was not anticipated. How we manage our business portfolio for the future is key. Our biggest challenge is to be prepared for hard times. That said, we have survived hard times before and, based on my experience, we will do it again, through innovation. This challenge excites me because I'd like to make SC Americas the innovation leader for Sumitomo throughout the world. We should be an incubator of innovation and new business ideas. I may not have my eyes on the street, but I have strong advisors and group leaders who do. As long as I can listen and be flexible, we can implement new ideas. Is there anything else you would like the readers to know? We have thousands of people working under the umbrella of the Sumitomo Corporation Group. Our challenge is to connect their minds. Our people have countless ideas that we as a company need to tap into through better communication and better collaboration. Working together, we can generate new ideas and continue to make our company stronger and an exciting place to work. S u m i t o m o C o r p o r a t i o n o f A m e r i c a s 5

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Visions - Spring 2015