Acting as a bridge between customers and creators—Aiming for production that maximizes individual charm

Yukako Ninomiya is in charge of project development in new areas at the newly established Business Produce Headquarters. We support ambitious clients in creating new spaces in various industries. Let's take a look at her commitment to her work and what she aims to be as a "bridge" that connects customers and creators.

Our sensibilities and opinions are also products of NOMURA To ensure that they are irreplaceable

The role expected of the Business Production Headquarters is to promote the sustainable business success of NOMURA Group through activities with a medium- to long-term perspective. In particular, the New Area Project Development Department to which Ninomiya belongs is a team that creates new businesses together with clients and supports business development when clients advance into new areas. Clients are diverse, ranging from finance, manufacturers, and medical institutions.

Ninomiya: For example, in a project in the beverage industry, I was in charge of producing a facility operated by a company.As of January 2023, three years after the facility opened, we have identified operational and brand strategy issues. , We provide long-term support, such as being involved in renewal planning, including how to sell products and how to serve customers.

Also, one hospital asked us to make the hospital more open and become a community hub that could be called a "health theme park." We are supporting them from the planning stage onwards, taking advantage of the know-how NOMURA has cultivated in producing commercial facilities, theme parks, and cultural facilities."

A team is formed for each project, but Ninomiya, as the project leader, assigns the most suitable planners and designers for the project and strives to build the team. I am in charge of management.

Ninomiya: One of my roles is to think about what to do in order to build relationships with customers and get new job opportunities.

Also, I'm always thinking about how to sell designers and planners, saying, 'I want you to play this role in this project. That's why I want you to keep this kind of performance in mind."

Ninomiya acts as a mediator between clients and team members. In particular, when it comes to clients, he says that he tries to communicate person-to-person rather than the relationship between the orderer/contractor.

Ninomiya: There are cases where clients make clear requests, cases where they consult with us about necessary internal adjustments and response methods before requesting our company for planning and design, and cases where we develop a new business together from scratch. Even if there is already a given situation, instead of being a yes man, I try to pick up issues that customers are not aware of, and to explore the needs of the world and the subconscious of customers and end users. ”

Ninomiya says that he always puts his antenna up high and strives to collect information in order to catch the trend of the world. There is one more important thing.

Ninomiya: I always ask myself what I want to do and what kind of society I want to be, and I try to convey my opinions to my clients. because it cannot be built.

I consider myself a NOMURA product, so communicating my sensibilities and thoughts is also part of my job. By doing so, I believe I can have a true dialogue with my customers."

When he found out he could work on public projects, he decided to join NOMURA

Ninomiya studied architecture and concept design at a university in Italy during his student days. After returning to Japan, he worked for a lighting design company, an displays curation company, and a foreign-affiliated interior concept design company before joining NOMURA in 2014.

He decided to join the company after his third client recommended that he work at NOMURA, saying, "I think you'd be a good fit for Nomura." However, he recalls that at first he was worried about whether he would be able to do what he wanted to do at NOMURA.

Ninomiya “Originally, I wanted to be involved in public work such as urban development, so when I was working for a lighting design company, I was in charge of lighting plans for exterior structures such as urban landscapes and parks. I was fascinated by the kind of work I could do.”

NOMURA had thought of Nomura as a company specializing in interiors concept design for commercial spaces, so he wasn't sure if the job was right for him.

Ninomiya soon learned that NOMURA also handles many projects related to interiors design of public facilities such as museums, art galleries, schools, and hospitals, as well as urban development. Convinced that NOMURA offers an environment where he can realize his dreams, he decided to join the company.

Ninomiya: "I was first assigned to the Expo Preparation Office. I was posted to Milan for a long period and took part in the project for the Japan Pavilion at the Milan Expo. After returning to Japan, I was part of a team responsible for producing a variety of exhibitions, and was involved in planning and supporting Japanese companies when they exhibited at overseas displays."

As I made preparations while communicating with overseas construction companies and traveling to overseas displays venues every time there was displays, one incident occurred that remains in my memory to this day.

Ninomiya: "A major Japanese airline took part in displays in the US with the aim of increasing awareness of the airline overseas. I was involved in not only booth concept design and display, but also operation and customer service. Many local people, from children to adults, visited the exhibition and became interested in Japan and the Japanese language. I was happy to be able to see firsthand the reactions of end users, which is something we don't usually have a chance to hear, and at the same time, I felt like I had played a role that went beyond corporate promotion and was something of a spokesperson for Japanese culture."

Participated in projects in the healthcare and wellness area. Mental health support

▲In-house meeting with team members

Currently, Ninomiya is involved in many projects in the healthcare and wellness fields.

Ninomiya: "Since around 2018, my colleagues and I had been talking about how it would be great if NOMURA could become more involved in projects in the healthcare field, which is an important field in Japan going forward and has room for growth as a market. As we continued to have these kinds of discussions with our superiors and planners as an extension of casual conversation, we developed into regular meetings. We then got into concrete discussions about how we needed to have contact with certain stakeholders in order to understand this field, and gradually we began to think about how to commercialize it."

Thus, a team was formed consisting of about 20 members from the concept design, planning, sales, and other departments.

When it comes to producing in the fields of healthcare and wellness, one might get the impression that it means creating spaces for moving the body, such as fitness gyms and running stations. However, Ninomiya is exploring the possibilities that NOMURA can contribute to the fields of healthcare and wellness from angles other than the physical.

Ninomiya: For health, it is essential to consider mental as well as physical health. In particular, it has been scientifically proven that the degree of satisfaction of intellectual curiosity has a large impact on mental health. Ever since I learned that people who are motivated to learn and who have strong intellectual curiosity live longer and healthier lives, I've come to want to focus on planning and creating spaces that nurture knowledge and education."

This idea was born in the senior residence development project that I am still involved in.

Ninomiya: A client who wants to create a house where residents can be healthy requested to create a place for a culture school and activities in the residence. I began to feel that the challenge was not to prepare a place for gymnastics, but to develop intellectual creativity through what kind of activities and lessons.”

Inquiries related to the healthcare field are increasing, and Ninomiya is currently working hard to realize "development of knowledge."

Ninomiya: “We received a request from the owner of an office building with a commercial facility that he wanted to create a health-themed building. I proposed to attract cultural facilities such as galleries.The client agreed with the idea that encountering art would broaden the lives of those who work in the building, which in turn would lead to better health. We are currently considering attracting an art gallery.”

Ninomiya says that since he started working on projects in the healthcare and wellness fields, he has started to pay more attention to his own health.

Ninomiya: Since I am in charge of the healthcare field, I think that I must be healthy, so from around 2020, I have been pursuing health in my daily life, such as properly managing my diet, exercise, and sleep. Everything I feel and learn in my life is reflected in my work, and what I learn at work is reflected in my private life, creating a virtuous cycle.”

Aiming to create an environment where planners and designers can maximize their individual strengths

Ninomiya has been in charge of spatial production for a wide range of projects. He says that what he most wants to achieve at NOMURA right now is to "maximize the appeal of planners and designers."

Ninomiya: I want to be a producer who can act as a bridge between the client and the creator, assigning the right planners and designers that match the client's needs to the right place. We are striving to build a team build with this.I believe that realizing the best match will lead to a better understanding of the work of creators.”

Now, Ninomiya has his sights set on the world, and he envisions a future where the name NOMURA, Ltd. is widely known.

Ninomiya: "As the Asian economy develops, I'm sure there is much that NOMURA can contribute to on the global stage, but I feel that we still have a lot to do. NOMURA 's creators are all different. Many of them have unique thought processes and ideas, are highly creative, and have a clear desire to do things a certain way. I am fascinated by these men and women, and I want to spread the word about their appeal so that they can become even more active in Japan and around the world."