Tokyo (SCCIJ) – The 40th Annual General Meeting of the SCCIJ membership has elected four new board members. The SCCIJ introduces them here through brief interviews, beginning with Ms. Naoko Koyama (Company Manager at Givaudan Japan) and Mr. Thomas Brodbeck (Integration Manager at Sika).
Naoko Koyama, Company Manager at Givaudan Japan (© N. Koyama)
SCCIJ: Ms. Koyama, please introduce yourself briefly.
Naoko Koyama: I have been working in Human Resources for my entire career and am currently heading the country HR of Givaudan Japan. I recently took on the additional role of a company manager.
SCCIJ: Why did you decide to work for the chamber as a member of the executive committee?
Naoko Koyama: I heard about this opportunity from people at the Embassy of Switzerland in Japan and SCCIJ. I thought it was an honor to be part of the team to contribute to the chamber on behalf of Givaudan, a Swiss company.
SCCIJ: What does the chamber mean for you and your organization?
Naoko Koyama: To me, the chamber means a place where people network, learn, enjoy, and gather not only to help each other succeed but also to add value to society together.
SCCIJ: What other services should the chamber offer?
Naoko Koyama: I think it might be helpful and meaningful if the chamber can offer collaboration with other international chambers to network beyond the Swiss community, for example, to exchange good practices and unite as an international community in Japan.
Thomas Brodbeck, Integration Manager at Sika (© T. Brodbeck).
SCCIJ: Mr. Brodbeck, please introduce yourself briefly.
Thomas Brodbeck: I grew up in the countryside between Zurich and Zug. I started my career at Sika and held various positions within the organization over the last 20 years from Research & Development to Operations and Global business support before I had the chance to relocate to Japan 2.5 years ago. Currently, I am part of the integration project to merge four companies in Japan and build up a new customer experience center to support our local customers in the best way.
I am curious, enjoy traveling and learning new things which Japan has a lot to offer. Living in Japan has opened my mind and enlarged my cultural understanding significantly and hopefully even more in the future. I love to cycle as it is the perfect speed to explore and enjoy the Japanese countryside. In wintertime, skiing in Japan’s famous powder snow got me.
SCCIJ: Why did you decide to work for the chamber as a member of the executive committee?
Thomas Brodbeck: I had the chance to attend several chamber events when I first arrived in Japan. I could benefit from the experience and network and built up friendships. Therefore, I thought it is time to actively contribute within the Swiss community and support the chamber in its established activities and valuable platforms for its members.
SCCIJ: What does the chamber mean for you and your organization?
Thomas Brodbeck: For me, the chamber is a good mixture of professional events and networking paired with more relaxed and casual opportunities to exchange. Personally, it is also a great opportunity to enlarge my knowledge and network into new business areas.
SCCIJ: What other services should the chamber offer?
Thomas Brodbeck: I believe the offering of the chamber is well-balanced and attractive. As a new member of the board, I would like to get familiar with the current setup first and bring in my ideas at a later stage if I identify needs to enlarge the offering. I could think of “best-demonstrated practice” stories to make the value of the chamber network more visible for existing and potential new members.
The interviews with the other two newly elected SCCIJ board members are published here.
Interview: Martin Fritz for SCCIJ
