"I'd like employees to think about their current career paths while envisioning the person they want to become." These are the words of Yuka Shigesawa, Corporate Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) at NEC. In addition to leading the Cloud & Managed Services Division, she is also leveraging her experiences to accelerate NEC's efforts in promoting Inclusion & Diversity (I&D). Shigesawa recently shared her thoughts on promoting women's empowerment and I&D, both within the NEC Group and globally.

Discovering personal strengths through diverse job experiences

──You joined NEC four years ago after working for a U.S.-based company for more than 30 years. Tell us more about your experience.

I had only worked at one company before joining NEC, but I held various roles: systems engineer, sales, product planning and development, executive assistant, project manager, CIO Office member, and even president of the Japanese subsidiary of an acquired company. I also had a stint at the company’s headquarters in New York. Having the opportunity to experience such a variety of jobs and workplaces has been incredibly meaningful to my career.

As a student, I aspired to use my education in the U.S. to use computers to improve the efficiency of corporate activities. However, after starting to work and interacting with people in various positions, I realized that you can't really know your strengths until you actually do the job. So, I told my company that I wanted to experience as many different roles as possible.

Looking back, one of the most challenging experiences I had was organizing an offshore development project from scratch, where we outsourced system development to companies in multiple countries. I formed a team of international employees from within the company and led the project. While I was often surprised by the various business practices and cultures within the team, learning to understand these differences was a valuable experience for us all, and helped the team to understand a wide variety of business standards and perspectives.

Through these various experiences, I have realized that what I enjoy and where I have strengths is with the challenge of new business areas. Although some people may find working in an uncertain environment frustrating, I find it exciting. I'm the type of person who enjoys tasks that can feel like bulldozing through a jungle to create new paths.

The offshore development project, for example, was a great opportunity for me to deepen my understanding of different cultures as I learned from the viewpoints of my colleagues.

Transitioning to NEC – seeking new challenges

I joined NEC because I wanted to keep growing by taking on new challenges. After experiencing a variety of roles and projects at my previous company, I thought about what I wanted to do and what I should challenge myself with next. That's when I decided that I wanted to work for a Japan-based company. Having only worked in a company based in the U.S., working for a Japanese company was, in itself, a new experience for me.

When I joined NEC in 2020, the company was actively working on cultural transformation and putting significant effort into promoting I&D, including the empowerment of women. In my previous job, I was involved in activities supporting women's careers through a Women's Council, and I also had many opportunities to discuss concerns with sexual and gender minority employees. I can now use those experiences to contribute to NEC.

NEC's first division executive to simultaneously serve as Chief Diversity Officer

──Since April, you have been leading the Digital Platform Business Unit, overseeing cloud services and data center operations that support the digital transformation (DX) business, as well as being the Chief Diversity Officer. What would you like us to know about these roles?

As the leader of the Digital Platform Business Unit, my primary focus is on further enhancing our proposal capabilities. We know NEC's products better than anyone else, which positions us to offer unique solutions that are tailored to customer needs.

Also, as the only female executive leading a business division at NEC, and in my dual role as CDO, there is a lot I can share with women and others on the frontlines of the business. Since business divisions have client-facing responsibilities, many people struggle to balance work and family, for example. I want to leverage my own experience and position to listen to everyone's concerns and work together to find solutions, whether it's about career plans, life plans, or what they should prioritize to achieve those plans.

There are other things I want to work on too, like effectively communicating the value that diversity brings and building fair evaluation processes and system foundations. I aim to make changes wherever I have the authority to do so. My goal is to make NEC the world's best company, where every employee shines and everyone wants to be a part of, while contributing to our Purpose of "creating the social values of safety, security, fairness, and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential."

──Some people may think they can't possibly do what you are doing. How do you respond?

Maybe it's because I'm always active and on the move, but people often ask, "How do you have so much energy?" (laughs). But I don't expect younger colleagues to imitate me or become like me. The challenges and goals people set for themselves are naturally different. What's important is to set goals that challenge you to go beyond yourself and make steady efforts to get closer to those goals. I would be happy if people could see my story as an example of another healthy mindset or successful career path and use it as inspiration to envision the person they want to become.

To younger generations, I hope they think about what brings joy to their private lives, what they want to challenge themselves with at work, and what their personal strengths are. With these experiences, we can develop a life plan and career plan early on, keeping in mind that work takes up a significant part of life. Of course, plans will change with circumstances, so feel free to make adjustments as needed. Your attitude and mindset can drastically change the course of your life. To lead a fulfilling and enjoyable life, I hope everyone will continuously challenge themselves, experience new things, think about the future, and grow as individuals.

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