Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next 3-5 years and what, in your imagination, would be your long term dream job? (2021)

My goal immediately after business school is to pivot from the hedge fund space to a top mutual fund like Fidelity, Wellington, or Capital. I have been in investment management for the past six years, and I love what I am doing, but I want to dive deeper into conducting fundamental research on companies’ business models, as well as build upon the ESG initiatives that I established at my current firm. At a mutual fund, I will be able to pursue both more extensively.

Longer-term, I want to launch my own business, initially in an industry that is highly cash-flow generative and with a short payback period, and eventually expand to other sectors. For as long as I could remember, I had an interest in business. Even when I was signed to a record label in [country] as a pop singer, I found myself less interested in being the “product,” and more interested in the idea of running the business. In my current role, I regularly meet with corporates across many industries, holding strategic discussions with management, and my plan is to emulate some of these businesses models that have substantial growth and yet maintain good cost control. After the company makes progress, I expect to expand into other industries with the cash generated from the initial business (or with cheaper sources of funding if available), including growing my media startup.

My ultimate dream is to help working women, especially mothers, in Japan. As a mother of a 3-year-old myself, coupled with my experiences throughout both my childhood (when I saw my mom struggling to make ends meet for our family) and my professional life, I feel compelled to help working mothers in Japan. My plan is to do this in two ways: the “top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches. The “top-down” approach is to leverage our (institutional investors’) influence as shareholders in helping to encourage more equal treatment of women, pushing for a more inclusive workplace at Japanese corporates. At [company], I initiated and lead the development of our ESG investment framework exactly because I am deeply passionate about advocating for ESG, particularly for the “social” pillar. One major reason I want to pivot to a mutual fund is that, at a mutual fund, I could have a much bigger impact on urging portfolio companies to adopt or further their respective ESG initiatives. But there are limitations to relying solely on ESG metrics to help women. That’s why, after expanding my own business and becoming more established, I aspire to help working mothers in Japan with the “bottom-up” approach by launching a mentorship program to inculcate to young female professionals that they can have a successful career and have a family at the same time. I also envision employing mothers with my future business so they can become role models for the younger generation in Japan.