As an Indonesian native, he lived in the US from the age of 15 and after graduating from high school, he continued his studies in a university in Switzerland. He is fluent in 4 languages: Indonesian, English, French, and Japanese. After coming to Japan in 2007, he worked in business development and overseas sales roles in various industries, including cosmetics, health and beauty supplements, bridal, and IT. He joined FORiT in 2022 as a contractor and became a full time employee as the head of the Business Development Office in November 2023.
Our mission is to make our global affiliate platform "Webridge" the No.1 performance marketing service in Asia. We aim to offer a truly ‘ borderless service’, where clients from any country can promote their products to any country in the world. There are many things we need to do to achieve this, but as the starting point, we are focusing on helping European and American companies enter the Japanese market. Also, we are launching our service in Thailand and Vietnam next month, so we are now preparing for this ( conducting market research and formulating a go-to-market strategy, etc).
Please tell us about your background before coming to Japan.
I was born in Indonesia and grew up in the US and Europe. After graduating from university in Switzerland, I worked as a hotel manager in Los Angeles, USA. My Japanese ‘ex’-girlfriend at the time (now my wife) was planning to go back to Japan and she asked me to follow her. So I quit my job and decided to come to Japan.
After I quit my job and decided to come to Japan, I realized for the first time that I would need to speak Japanese in Japan (laugh). So, for about 3 months after arriving in Japan, I learned Japanese from scratch at a Japanese language school. However, I felt that I was not learning practical Japanese, so I decided to quit and learn Japanese while working. At the time, I was working as an overseas sales representative for a Japanese cosmetics company and although my coworkers were Japanese, I was mainly using English for my work. That gave me the opportunity to gradually improve my Japanese.
Please tell us about your career after coming to Japan.
I started my career doing overseas sales for a Japanese cosmetics company and for a health and beauty supplement company. After that, I was in charge of overseas expansion support and management of local subsidiaries in Indonesia, where I worked for about eight years. Then I took on a role in business development and corporate planning for a major Japanese wedding company and was there for about 4 years. Prior to joining FORiT, I worked for a major Japanese IT company and was in charge of overseas business strategy and development as well as management of foreign subsidiary companies.
Looking back, I have done quite a lot of different things. Although I worked in different industries, I took on roles involved mainly in business development, especially promoting Japanese products and services abroad. I truly love Japanese culture and I always hope that people overseas can have the same experience and enjoy the services that we have here in Japan.
Have you experienced a ‘challenging or difficult time’ at work?
I didn’t feel or recall a time where I experienced ‘difficulty’. I mean, no matter where you go or what you do, you will always have challenges. By keeping your eyes and focus on the goal, you will always have clarity of what needs to be done next. Regardless of whether we want to do or not, as long as it is a necessary action, we will need to move forward without any hesitation. So on a daily basis, I always try to think of the bigger picture and not just one task at a time. In my current role, I am working with multi-national colleagues, each with their own culture and values, yet we are all working together under one clear vision. So if we have the awareness that we are all moving forward in the same direction, then nothing is “difficult”.
ーI see. So you have always chosen companies with a clear mission and vision as your place to work?
Yes. Throughout my experience doing business expansion and managing companies abroad, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with people from many different countries, with each person having his or her own set of values. For me, it is very important to have a clear mission and vision for the team to be united. Moreover, I always choose a company where I can make a positive impact right away and be a turning point for the company’s growth.
How did you come to work for FORiT as an outsourcer?
A few years ago, I had an opportunity to meet the head of the Global Marketing Division and became interested in performance marketing. I heard about the goal to become “No. 1” in Asia and became very interested in the project but I was tied-up with commitments to my previous employer. So we agreed for me to work as an independent contractor.
Was there any particular event that made you decide to join the company as a full-time employee?
We had continuous discussions regarding the company's growth strategy and how the company wants to focus on overseas expansions. I felt that the company’s goal and my career goal were aligned, so I made the decision to fully commit to joining FORiT.
ー”やりたいこと”とは何だったのでしょうか。 What was it that you “wanted to do”?
It’s “to be No. 1”. There are many companies in Japan that say "we will expand globally," but very few can truly say "we aim to be No. 1”. I decided to join the company because I really want to use my knowledge and past experience to help the company achieve the goal. Additionally, I could see how fully supportive and committed the senior management is to the cause and I want to deliver the result.
What is your outlook for the future? "Asia's No.1 ASP" is the ultimate goal, but we also want to increase the presence of FORiT overseas. Our aim is to make Webridge a service with global reach and awareness and make people pleasantly surprised to the fact that Webridge is a service originating from Japan. In order to achieve this, we first need to expand our business and get a strong foothold in key potential countries in Southeast Asia: Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.
We want to grow together and are actively recruiting people who want to test their abilities not only in Japan but also overseas. Naturally, a minimum level of English proficiency is necessary, however, communication skill and the eagerness to learn are more important to us than just a high TOEIC score. We are passionate about what we do, so we welcome anyone who is willing to learn and have a positive mindset. Also, the working environment in our division is very open and flat, so be proactive and suggest new and fresh ideas!
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