Human Resource Strategy
Our Approach to Human Resources
At Sojitz, we consider our people
to be our greatest asset, and the value we create is derived from
strengthening the skills of our human resources.
The sustainable growth of the Sojitz Group depends on having a deep
pool of talent to create, maintain and develop foundations for generating
stable earnings.
We define global management talent as people who can create value
and generate profits in the global business arena by thinking and acting on their own initiative and persevering
until successful. We recruit and develop people who have the qualities
necessary for the global management talent we seek, assign the right
people to the right positions so they can maximize their potential,
and promote their success with various human resource programs.
Core Initiatives
Programs for Developing Future Senior Managers
For Sojitz, a corporation which conducts diverse businesses through more than 400 Group companies, developing human resources who will manage its operating companies is an important task. We implement a variety of measures to develop employees into senior managers and retain them in the long-term, including an overseas trainee program, an overseas language training program, an MBA study abroad program, a development program that gives employees exposure to real management settings, and M&A training.
● Click here for examples of the overseas training program and overseas language training program.
● Click here for examples of the MBA study abroad program.
For example, for the senior management development program
that started in 2012, employees who show promise as future senior managers
are selected from a wide range of departments and sent to Group companies
that are not directly related to the department they came from. Under
the guidance of the CEOs and other executives at those Group companies,
they acquire the practical knowledge and mindset needed to manage operating
companies through on-the-job experience, in a management setting. We
are already seeing results – in fact, one person who participated in
this program has been serving as CEO of a U.S. chemical subsidiary since
October 2016.
We also introduced M&A training in 2016 to foster business investment
and business management knowledge, and continue to expand systems for
developing senior managers who will support the Sojitz Group’s future
growth.
Global Recruitment
As part of our global recruitment efforts, we have a hiring pipeline whereby non-Japanese staff for head office positions. We started by recruiting foreign graduates of Japanese universities and alumni of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, and have since expanded recruitment targets to graduates of overseas universities, regardless of Japanese ability. These employees are already playing important roles at Sojitz.
● Click here for examples of the overseas recruiting program.