When you hear the title "Executive Assistant to CEO," you might picture a seasoned expert in top-level support. But in reality, the kind of person assigned to the role can vary widely depending on the company—and everyone starts out as a beginner. From 2023, Kaori Iwafuchi, a newly appointed manager with a background in sales, served for two years as executive assistant (EA) to Takayuki Morita, President and CEO of NEC. What was her impression of the CEO, a figure she once saw as being "above the clouds"? And how did the experience transform her?

"Like someone above the clouds" — a mid-career sales staffer steps into a new world

"Would you consider becoming the CEO's EA?"

That was the unexpected proposal Iwafuchi received in December 2022. "My heart rate instantly spiked," she recalls.

Iwafuchi joined NEC in 2008 as a new graduate, starting in sales for the company's domestic logistics business. Over time, she built her career working on marketing for acquired businesses and developing new services for local governments. But up until then, she says, her focus had been limited to "what was directly in front of me." "At the time, the CEO seemed like someone who lived above the clouds. I had seen him at employee town hall meetings, but only through video screens."

Taking the leap into the EA role brought a constant stream of surprises. She accompanied the CEO to meetings, events, and speaking engagements—absorbing the content, preparing materials, and coordinating with various staff. On some days, they tackled close to 20 meetings.

"I didn't understand the content of the meetings at first. I didn't know how the organization was structured. I didn't even recognize the faces of the executives," she says. "When someone said, 'Tell Mr. So-and-so,' I had no idea which So-and-so they meant." Fast forward two years. As she prepared to hand over the role this spring, she created a relationship map showing areas of focus, key interpersonal connections, and go-to people—it covered an entire wall-sized whiteboard in a meeting room. "Even that didn't feel like enough," Iwafuchi says with a laugh.

Behind the glamour — a CEO deeply committed to the grit of the front lines

Another major discovery for Iwafuchi during her tenure was just how much time and effort CEO Morita devoted to understanding the realities on the ground—far more than she had imagined.

"People tend to focus on the glamorous side—giving presentations at international conferences and such—but he has an extraordinary interest in the grittier side of things," she says. One example is the CEO Town Hall Meetings, which Morita has held without fail every month since becoming CEO in 2021. These sessions, conducted both online and in person, are attended by over 10,000 employees across the NEC Group each time. Starting in 2023, the initiative evolved into in-person dialogue sessions, with Morita traveling to offices, plants, and Group companies nationwide, including Osaka, Fukuoka, and Nagoya. While the meetings were launched to boost employee engagement, what stood out most to Iwafuchi was Morita's relentless drive to understand what was really happening in the field.

"During these sessions, he would listen to employees with his full attention. On the car ride back, he'd often say things like, 'Look into what that person was talking about,' or 'Make sure this gets passed on to the relevant team so we can resolve it.' That kind of follow-up happened all the time."

Morita often emphasizes the importance of speaking up, especially when something is difficult to say. "If all I ever hear are good reports, there's no way to improve things," he says. That's why he chooses to face employees head-on. At the same time, he'll intentionally share his own failures or steer clear of topics that might make someone uncomfortable. "It might sound surprising—though I mean it in the best way—but he's actually very emotionally attuned to the people around him," Iwafuchi notes with a smile.

"The world is so much bigger than I thought" — a broader perspective for maximizing value

In a role governed by minute-to-minute schedules and the need to make swift decisions with limited information, what Iwafuchi says she gained most over her two years as EA to CEO is resilience under pressure. English, which she hadn't been confident in before, became much less daunting after going through some intense overseas business trips. "Now I feel like, 'Whatever happens, I'll manage somehow!'" she says. Her perspective has also broadened. Reflecting on her earlier mindset, when her world revolved solely around her own department, she shares: "These days, even in meetings, I find myself thinking things like, 'Maybe we should get input from that other department,' or 'This ties into the company's broader value.' I've learned to see things from a wider, more strategic viewpoint."

After her two years as EA to CEO, Iwafuchi didn't return to her previous role. Instead, she requested a new challenge: joining a department she had no prior experience in, focused on expanding NEC's logistics business globally. While her own career goals played a part in the decision, her reasoning went deeper: "I thought about where I could offer the greatest value to the company. That's what guided my choice."

On Iwafuchi's last day as EA to CEO, Morita's farewell was brief and to the point: "Thank you for your hard work." But in a later interview, he shared his true sentiments: "For her, the real work—the real career—starts now. I'm glad she found something she wants to take on next and chose to return to the field." He added with high hopes for her future, "I want her to take what she learned here, apply it on her own, and keep carving her own path." As for her English skills, he admitted with a laugh, "At first, I wasn't sure she'd manage. But she never complained and stuck with it. She's become really strong."

"I didn't realize the world was this big." Looking back on her two years working closely with the CEO of a group with over 110,000 employees, that's how Iwafuchi sums up the experience. Just as striking to her was Morita's consistent focus on the individuals working in that vast world—people on the ground across the organization. That mindset, too, left a deep impression on her. It's the growth of employees like Iwafuchi, one person at a time, that fuels NEC's ability to continue as a company committed to creating social value.

Recommended Articles

NEC Stories Top