Outside Directors’ Roundtable Discussion

Outside Director

Outside Director (Independent Officer)

Kunihiro Koshizuka

Kunihiro Koshizuka served as Director and CTO of Konica Minolta, Inc., and has been working in digital transformation (DX) and new business creation, large-scale overseas M&As, technology management, formulating management strategy, and other areas. Since retiring as Director in 2019, he has been helping to formulate and promote technological strategies at the company as the Senior Technical Advisor and has served as chairman/owner of an industry-academia-government AI development project. He was appointed as an Outside Director of WILL GROUP in June 2022.

Outside Director (Independent Officer)

Yuko Ichikawa

Formerly General Manager of IR Department at Rakuten, Inc. (currently Rakuten Group, Inc.), Yuko Ichikawa currently holds positions as an Outside Director at multiple companies, providing corporate governance and IR consulting for corporate IR managers and entrepreneurs. Appointed as an Outside Director of the Company in June 2024, she is expected to contribute to further strengthening the Companyʼs corporate governance systems.

Outside Director (Independent Officer)

Masato Takahashi

At Recruit Co., Ltd. (currently Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd.), Masato Takahashi led the establishment of internet-oriented departments, engaging in the relationship between information and people. Since 2007, he has driven business development and digital transformation (DX) as a Managing Executive Officer overseeing core e-commerce and related businesses at Rakuten, Inc., contributing significantly to the company’s growth. He was appointed as an Outside Director of WILL GROUP in June 2022.

Emerging Results of Transformation Under New Management

Koshizuka

FY2025 marks the second year since launching the Medium-Term Management Plan (WILL-being 2026). Last year, we revised our management targets, a decision that required courage. Rather than setting unrealistic figures as goals, we chose to take a step back to position ourselves for our next leap forward. Behind this was the fact that work style reforms, rising wages, and other factors had changed the social standing of workers, creating a need to fundamentally reconsider the nature of the human resource business itself. While the construction management engineers domain has continued to grow steadily, management has begun to recognize that we cannot prepare for the future on a single pillar. As an Outside Director, I am working to provide a deeper level of oversight for both our domestic and overseas business portfolios to achieve higher resolution. The level of understanding has in fact risen significantly over the past year, and I feel the quality of management discussions has improved.

Takahashi

Changing the management structure now in the third year of the new structure was a major decision, but with the world and markets changing, the question was whether new leadership with fresh perspectives could drive new initiatives. Amid major structural changes in which the former president and directors stepped down while Koshizuka and I joined as new Outside Directors, we had the shared experience of amending the commitments we had made to stakeholders by revising the Medium-Term Management Plan targets. Though the process was difficult, I feel that it has definitely led to a higher perspective among management. You could say we experienced the “labor pains” of growth together.

Ichikawa

The review of our Overseas Working Business was particularly emblematic of this. President Sumi personally took charge of overseeing international operations as a whole, and post-M&A PMI is now conducted in close coordination with local teams. Both people and systems have been overhauled, and it feels like we have entered a second stage. While it is still a work in progress in terms of results, I feel these changes have built a major foundation for company-wide growth and are directly contributing to President Sumi’s own growth as well. Having gone through this preparation period, I strongly feel we are headed toward the next stage of growth.

Strategy to Show Direction and the Front-Line Skills to Support It

Koshizuka

While we value delegation of authority, for our business portfolio strategy, it is vital that management set the course. For example, the emergence of AI and blockchain has created domains where demand for human resources is changing rapidly. Decisions on where to allocate resources and where to withdraw are the responsibility of management, not the people on the front lines. With profitability gaps widening across domains in the market as a whole, we are at a point where management must take bold action. For example, in domains like call centers, where AI is rapidly replacing human roles, leaving things to the front lines will not allow us to respond to change. Top leadership needs to set the course and allocate resources appropriately.

Kunihiro Koshizuka
Ichikawa

While people on the front lines are desperately searching for new pillars of growth, I believe management should also present a bigger picture of where we are headed. Ideally, both management and the front lines will propose directions bilaterally, such as, “We’ve done things this way under these circumstances, but going forward, we will set a course in this new direction .” Doing so will give shape to what has been a vague vision of the future and nourish new seeds of growth after the construction management engineers domain. Establishing a system where those on the front lines and management both set goals will give employees a clearer sense of having an anchor to hold on to.

Takahashi

Our strengths lie in the quality control of our temporary staff, the trust we have built by keeping our promises to clients, and ownership on the front lines. Each employee stays attuned, detecting signs of labor shortages and seizing business opportunities. Our culture of having all members participate in management is a major asset. In international M&A as well, we strive to be the kind of company others choose to partner with. President Sumi personally serving as head of the intermediate holding company and his hands-on involvement locally is an expression of that commitment. While competitors who operate globally prioritize speed in PMI, our PMI focuses on people. While taking too much time can be a risk, having President Sumi personally involved at the front lines creates a sense that we have finally achieved a balance between speed and respect for people.

Koshizuka

The sense of ownership passed down from the era of our establishment remains alive and well under the new structure. I feel the executive team is earnest and has growth potential, and the corporate culture of candidly disclosing challenges serves as proof of the effectiveness of our governance. What underpins these strengths is a high level of transparency. At the shareholders’ meeting, when we were asked, “What is the mood like at the Board of Directors?” we emphasized that, unlike other companies, we have nothing to hide and share openly, including challenges and shortfalls. I feel this transparency is precisely what makes us strong. Employee dialogues have also led to greater awareness of the presence of Outside Directors, which is a significant change.

Building Systems to Evolve Human Capital Management

Yuko Ichikawa
Ichikawa

In human capital management, human resource investment that is aligned with the business portfolio strategy is essential. To achieve this, it is important to visualize employee skills and experience across divisions and systematize placement, development, and promotion. Things which have relied on the discerning eye of the Chairman should be made more reproducible through systems going forward. Establishing a structure that leverages AI to support advanced essential workers will also increase the speed of management. Having such systems mesh with the capabilities and ownership on the front lines will allow us to function as change agent that brings positive transformation to individuals and organizations.

Takahashi

We have long provided abundant learning opportunities and built a culture where employees can take initiative in pursuing new challenges. We also have many opportunities for external inspiration, and new environments are always available for those who wish to learn. This is a tradition that predates President Sumi and is proof that a culture that values human capital has taken root. Going forward, I believe establishing systems that structurally support the passion of our front-line workers will further increase the effectiveness of our human capital management. Information is shared with us, Outside Directors, at every turn, sometimes with what feels like excessive transparency, but I see this too as part of the culture of learning.

How to Communicate International Business Progress Through IR

Ichikawa

We have engaged extensively in direct dialogues with CEOs of our subsidiaries in Singapore and Australia. We spent over half a day per company delving into management conditions and challenges for thorough discussions. Previously, there was little interaction among our subsidiaries overseas, but now there is growing momentum to explore synergy, or, “What can we do together?” These efforts have contributed to deeper understanding among management, including President Sumi, while also serving as an opportunity for local teams to be aware of the presence of Outside Directors. In Japan as well, we have established forums for in-depth exchanges of opinions with business managers, and a system for sharing management challenges is taking root.

Takahashi

We have also changed how we monitor international operations, introducing a shared format for reporting by CEOs. Being able to compare group companies across the board allows us to accurately grasp their challenges and strengths, which has led to improved quality of discussions. The fact that President Sumi visits local operations, where he speaks directly not only with executives but also with front-line sales leaders, has led to faster decision-making. These efforts convey our commitment to our local partners and serve as a foundation for trust.

Ichikawa

In this way, the Overseas Working Business is approaching its ideal state, and Group governance is in a healthier state. We were once like a collection of small and medium-sized companies, but we are now moving toward a system that creates strategy from a shared perspective.

Takahashi

On the other hand, our reputation among investors is not where it should be. Instead of creating products, the human resource business creates value through people. This value is difficult to measure using the metrics applied to manufacturing companies, and the fact of the matter is that it has not been communicated adequately. For example, in Australia we dispatch highly skilled workers to the government and major financial institutions, and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates can sometimes obscure the numbers. We must carefully communicate the actual value we contribute locally through IR efforts and tie this to corporate value. Furthermore, we need to proactively communicate our initiatives in Asian markets, where there is significant room for growth, and work to help investors gain a deeper understanding of this.

Masato Takahashi

Looking Ahead to 2030: Transformation and Achieving Well-Being

Koshizuka

Looking ahead to 2030, I have some concerns that our emphasis on the front lines has left us short of people who can take a bird’s-eye view of the future. Employees in the construction management engineers domain only know their own area, and other departments tend to stay confined to their specialized domains as well. Like racehorses wearing blinders, as long as we remain unable to see what is next to us or what lies ahead, we cannot envision 2030. To prepare for the inevitable proliferation of AI, it is more important for every employee to start practicing using AI now rather than worry about AI eliminating jobs. We must develop the foresight to avoid heading in the wrong direction.

Takahashi

As companies mature, roles tend to become fixed, and the organization tends to stagnate. That is precisely why it is vital to keep making bold reassignments and build an organization designed for change. Moving people with specialized expertise to different domains cultivates their ability to see the big picture and generates dynamism across the company. At my previous company, I underwent countless bold job rotations, which served as a driving force for growth. I feel the same potential at the WILL GROUP. If we have the courage to break existing frameworks, we will see a completely different landscape for 2030.

Ichikawa

Currently, we have begun initiatives that emphasize LTV (Lifetime Value) for each business and each employee. While we measure the LTV of temporary staff working on-site, such as construction management engineers and care workers, we also encourage each employee to think about their own LTV. Being conscious of one’s own growth value creates opportunities to step up to challenges and drive transformation, resulting in higher corporate value and social reputation. This will bring happiness to the company, to people, and to society. I believe embedding the concept of LTV in organizational management will be our greatest challenge for the next five years, and that this will serve as the driving force for the sustained growth of the WILL GROUP.

Home Navigation OFF