Born into a family with engineering blood going back three generations, Jean-François Rébeillé recalls, “I’ve always been on a hands-on guy who liked mechanical things. I used to take my motorbike apart and then put it back together when I was a teenager.” The odds were then probably stacked in favour of Rébeillé following a path that took him through the world of industrial technology.
With a father from the French Pyrenees and a Swiss mother from the Berner Oberland, his childhood spanned the two countries, much of it in mountainous regions. But when his father was sent to the US, he decided to follow and studied mechanical engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia, doing a short stint at German firm Henkel after graduation.
Choosing to do his military service in France, Rébeillé returned to the highlands, serving as an officer in the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade: “from a leadership standpoint in terms of team management and teamwork, the lessons were invaluable.”
First but not last trip to Asia
Returning to the US, he joined General Electric in upstate New York. Though based in the States, Rébeillé worked on global projects, “I was assigned to different parts of the world to build thermal power plants…I visited the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and last but not least, Asia.”
On his first trip to Japan, in 2000, he had been sent to work with TEPCO on building a power plant on the bay at Yokohama. While still adjusting to the new experience of how TEPCO operated, along with working alongside Toshiba and Hitachi, he had an altogether more pleasant surprise when he struck up a conversation with a woman sitting nearby while having tea in the city. They would go on to marry and Rébeillé would later return and make his home in Yokohama.
After a few more years with GE, he took on a new challenge with what is now ENGIE Cofely in Paris, working in co-generation (heat and power generation) for five years.
Back and forth and starting over
“And 16 years ago, my wife and I decided we wanted to be in Japan for the long term. So, the end of 2007 is when we moved permanently to Tokyo.”
He returned to GE but this time in aircraft engines, before transferring to GE Power, where he would stay until 2017. He then became Japan country head for ENGIE and worked on a range of renewables and energy service projects. Staying in the energy space, Rébeillé took over as head of Japan operations for the renewables division of the Munich-headquartered BayWa r.e. in 2020.
After almost quarter of a century working for multinationals in the fields of heavy machinery, aviation and across the spectrum of the energy business, Rébeillé “decided to pivot and contribute in a different way.” Setting up an independent consultancy ReTo Conseil in November 2022, he now helps European firms — mostly Swiss, French and German SMEs — which want to enter or expand in Japan, as well as domestic firms looking to go the other way.
“I help them connect with the right people. I take them through the discussions. I help them find the right partners. I help them set up industrial collaboration. I help them on projects such as M&A opportunities, do market studies.”
Leveraging connections
Over the years, as well as projects with Japan’s industrial heavyweights, he has also worked with many of the sogo shosha trading houses, who act as intermediaries in so many markets and endeavours both in Japan and overseas. These connections and his knowledge of the ins and outs of how business proceeds in Japan allow Rébeillé to help his clients avoid common pitfalls and misunderstandings.
“The core of my expertise and experience, and where I can really help people, is in the industrial type of projects. And it can be aerospace, it can be automobile, it can be renewable energy, it can be the chemical industry, but also infrastructure. A very, very broad scope because I’ve worked with a lot of different people.”
Rébeillé says people still often underestimate the size of the Japanese market and overestimate its closedness. Helping clients understand the market and its needs are some of the most satisfying aspects of his new work.
In addition to belonging to the SCCIJ, he has been an active member of the Swiss Club Tokyo for the past 15 years.
Former rugby player (including for the Swiss under 20 national team) Rébeillé is a keen runner, having completed 14 marathons across three continents, and knocks out 10km every morning.
“Running for 45 minutes every morning allows me to start the day with a higher energy level. The sunlight and the trees trigger a more positive mindset. It also helps reduce the pressure which comes with a busy professional life.”
Text: Gavin Blair for SCCIJ.
