When I was at university, I thought I’d land a job at a media or finance-related firm after graduation. I was a poor student, after all, and these were some of the highest paying companies at the time. But then I met someone from Mazda. They told me the company had a unique corporate culture where its employees could realize whatever it was they wanted to do in their professional careers, which sounded very appealing.
Around this time, I caught a glimpse of a blue Mazda roadster, roof open, speeding past me and immediately fell in love - with the car, not the girl - and saw this as a sign, so I decided to join Mazda.
For my first job I was assigned to a department that dealt with sales, but I was more interested in engineering or marketing. I don’t have an engineering background, so I studied it in my spare time and waited for the opportunity to present itself. The moment finally came when I was appointed program manager of the new Mazda3. It was thrilling, to say the least, but daunting as the task ahead was huge. It was definitely a dream come true for me and I still feel like I’m living my dream!
＜Interviewed in 2019＞