My Rakuten Experience: Taku
Taku is a senior manager at the commerce accounting department for the commerce & marketing company in Japan.
Current job
I currently manage the accounting section in the commerce accounting department, which oversees advertising-related businesses and subsidiaries. This department supports the growth of each business from an accounting and financial perspective. One of our most important responsibilities is to gather the necessary information on finance and business performance in cooperation with related departments within the company. Additionally, we collaborate with the budget management department to support department heads and decision-makers in making optimal decisions. I am also involved in reviewing accounting procedures and operations for new services and organizational reforms, from which I gained experience in the launching of four individual companies simultaneously.
Rakuten has an open environment where opinions can be freely exchanged across divisions, which contributes to the satisfaction I feel in my work as a member of the accounting department to support system replacements and revisions.
Why Rakuten?
After graduating from university, I worked as a system engineer at a systems integration company and remained there for five years. When I thought about getting more involved in company management, I changed my career by moving to an accounting position at an IT venture company, where I worked for about eight years. Although I was hired into an accounting position, the company only had 30 employees. In addition to my focus on accounting, I was also in charge of all administrative departments, including human resources, general affairs, legal affairs and corporate planning. When I thought about my next career step, my interest in learning what large companies do led me to join Rakuten, as it is one of Japan’s leading IT companies. When I began my employment at Rakuten, I quickly realized its extensive magnitude. This was evident from the presence of skilled professionals in every administrative department, each possessing specialized knowledge. I have been fortunate to leverage their expertise to enhance my work. Despite being a large corporation, Rakuten is a company that works quickly and accomplishes its business under the motto of “Speed!! Speed!! Speed!!” This concept has led to Rakuten’s success and very much resonates with me.
Career development
I transitioned my career from being a system engineer to working in accounting. Subsequently, I came across Rakuten, where I am currently involved in managerial responsibilities within the accounting department. While in the accounting department, I also work with professionals in general affairs, legal affairs and human resources. This grants me valuable opportunities to increase my knowledge of intellectual property, compliance, labor management, security-related issues and other subjects. This allows me to update myself with the newest information constantly. I feel that such cumulative experiences have broadened the scope of my work, and it motivates me to try new things. Rakuten’s open corporate culture also provides me opportunities and an environment where we can learn and grow together, which is always stimulating. Moreover, participating in the variety of training programs Rakuten offers its employees have also been a significant boost to my career development.
Current environment
The atmosphere among my team members is exceptionally pleasant. As a manager tasked with organizing the department, I respect each member’s professionalism and approach to their work. At Rakuten, we believe that diversity is the driving force of innovation, and I think this idea is very important. Our team comprises of individuals with diverse strengths, personalities and potentials. Some excel when working independently, while others thrive through close communication with one another to enhance the team’s performance. Additionally, some members possess extensive international experience. This is why I focus on management that makes the most of each individual’s strengths. One of the great things about our team is its openness, which encourages members to share work-related news and other information during team meetings. I constantly remind myself, “I am who I am because of my team members.” I genuinely feel that everyone on my team takes responsibility and pride in their work.
What are some things that being at Rakuten allows you to do?
Rakuten offers an environment where I can work with people from various departments in various businesses, which is both interesting and reflects the company’s large scale. For instance, when setting up a new company, the Post-Merger Integration team collaborates with the business leaders and the entire administrative department. On the other hand, when making revisions to a system, the headquarters accounting department, the business team and the technology team work together and coordinate with each other. Such collaboration builds internal ties within the company, and this is one of the unique aspects of Rakuten that enables us to create relationships to stay in contact with each other even after a project is completed. Currently, I am managing a total of seven businesses and their associated branches. Through effective communication with the individuals in each unit, I can grasp the current state of affairs within each organization.
Future goals
I enjoy regularly encountering new situations, which allows me to approach my daily work with a sincere admiration for Rakuten’s corporate philosophy of “Empowering people and society through innovation.” Since the accounting department receives a variety of information, it makes it easier to understand each department’s characteristics and advantages and expand on success cases by rolling them out to other business units. Looking ahead, I would like to continue working actively with a sense of speed in response to changes within and outside the company.
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