CDO Message

Concerted Effort to Accelerate Transformation and Value Creation through Digital Transformation

When I became CDO at Sojitz in 2021, “digital transformation” was still only a buzzword in Japan, and there were not really that many companies actually promoting digital transformation. Simply stated, digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to transform a company. In this era of companies clambering toward digital transformation, Sojitz sought to take a head-on approach in digital transformation as a general trading company. Its first step: employee awareness reforms. There is no magic approach toward completing digital transformation. The potential for digital transformation is unlimited, and this is why it is crucial to first understand what digital technologies are, what it means to introduce these technologies into a business, and how these technologies can be used to create new value. Moreover, employees must recognize that these technologies can be used by anyone in any business. That is why I emphasize employee awareness reforms. For this purpose, we began developing training programs designed to grant all employees an understanding of digital technologies and help them realize their role in utilizing these technologies. The Company also launched a number of hands-on digital projects, which I oversaw directly as CDO, to allow employees to experience the potential of digital technologies firsthand. In this manner, we sought to introduce digital technologies into Sojitz’s business while working together with employees.

Over the two years since I became CDO, Sojitz has taken an ongoing and extensive approach toward cultivating digitally proficient employees, whom we refer to as “DX-Experts.” Business divisions have managed to cultivate their own DX-Experts, allowing them to spearhead their own digital technology projects. Digital technologies have thus taken root through Sojitz, and knowledge of these technologies are becoming a standard tool for Sojitz employees. Finally, standing at the starting line, Sojitz is poised to accelerate the creation of value by using digital technologies on a Companywide basis in order to transform itself into a next-generation trading company. Sojitz is a general trading company that has potential to greatly transform society given the scale of its business and the diversity of its portfolio. It brings me great joy when I see the benefits of digital transformation appearing in the form of results at specific workplaces.

I am committed to maintaining an up-to-date understanding of ever-evolving digital technologies so that I can use these technologies to promote digital transformation in pursuit of further growth at Sojitz. I hope you will look forward to Sojitz’s future of accelerated progress toward growth using digital technologies.