theceomagazine.com | 113our overseas offices. This makes a big
difference to our customers.
“The speed of technological change in
China is fast – for example, the rise of
smartphones and the popularity of online
payment as opposed to cash handling. Many
companies have tried to use new levels of
technology to take advantage of these
changes. Our team in China is still relatively
small so our partners are very important –
they strengthen our business, complement our
offering, and help us keep up with industry
trends. We can’t do everything on our own,
so we create opportunities for ourselves and
our partners.
“My philosophy is to hide nothing: I am
completely open with our shareholders
during the good times and the bad. By doing
this, I hope they understand the reasons
behind my decisions,” explains Yoshio. “When
we came to China, our business was almost
invisible. We have been working hard to
make it tangible and valuable so that one day
we are in the top ranks. NTT DATA is
currently ranked in the top 10 IT services
providers worldwide, and we are aiming to
reach the top five in the next few years.
“Traditionally, when you join a company
in Japan, you are loyal to it and you stay
there for life. This is rare outside of Japan- people come and go and they all have
different backgrounds. To build a strong team,
I believe it’s important to respect and
understand these differences. NTT DATA has
three values at its core: Clients First;
Foresight; and Teamwork. We do annual ‘value
activities’ outside our everyday business
meetings where we align our business with
our values. I was taught to ‘always look at
things from the moon’. Our view is often
very limited so we need to step back to fully
understand the scope of the issue before we
can find a solution.
“I tell my team to think from a
customer’s point of view – what will bring
them the greatest benefits. All too often, IT
companies propose new technologies but
tend to forget about what’s best for the
customer. We put the customer first.”
NTT DATA HAS IDENTIFIED THE
FOLLOWING 8 TRENDS EXPECTED
TO HAVE THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE
IN THE COMING YEARS:
- Pervasive artificial intelligence
- Conversational computing
- Environment-aware robotics
- Precision life science
- Synthetic reality
- Security for the
Internet of Things era
- Heterogeneity in IT infrastructures
- Experience design innovation
Interview | INNOVATE