Bringing together the power of members to create something ──The journey of a project leader who connects people inside and outside the company

Tomoaki Onuki joined the company in 2020 as an experienced sales employee. He is responsible for project management in the hotel market. Onuki has been working calmly and successfully bringing his team together, and has taken on major projects since shortly after joining the company. Looking back on his career, Onuki talks about his outlook on work and his vision for the future.
 

Sales as a project leader connecting customers and internal members

Onuki joined NOMURA in 2020. He is part of the Sales Promotion Headquarters, Second Business Division, Sales Department 1, which handles hotel projects both in Japan and overseas. There are 15 members in the two departments, and each of them manages their own project as a leader.

Onuki: "My role is to communicate with the client to understand their needs, and to move the project forward while taking into account deadlines and budgets. My main job is to coordinate with the in-house engineers, designers, and production team.

When it comes to big projects, we have regular meetings for the entire project once a week, and in preparation for these we have many internal meetings and pre-meetings with clients. We generally leave concept design up to the designer, but if the materials chosen don't fit the budget or the concept design has difficult specifications, we may ask for adjustments to fit the budget."

NOMURA 's strength lies in the ongoing relationships it has with its customers, maintaining a high rate of repeat business.

Onuki: "Developing new business is also a part of our sales team, but we also receive many referrals from existing customers, as well as requests from developers and design firms. We believe that our high repeat customer rate is proof that our company is trusted."

There is one thing that Onuki values most when it comes to work: staying positive. This is the key to smoothly progressing through complex projects.

Onuki: "When we proceed with a project, there are many times when new requests come up from the client. Even in such cases, we respond calmly and without panicking. If it is difficult to realize the request, we discuss with our in-house designers and directors (production management) how to find a compromise and then propose this to the client. We think about what roles each member can play and are conscious of creating a good working atmosphere for everyone."

Onuki is honest with both his customers and co-workers. Behind his work lies the presence of his family.

Onuki: "I have a son, and I don't want to work in a way that he might think is uncool. I want to work honestly and always be someone I can be proud of."

Immediately after joining the company, he was involved in a large-scale hotel project. He was able to accomplish the project with the support of his teammates.

After graduating from university, Onuki gained experience in interiors industry working for a curtain manufacturer and an interiors construction company.

Onuki: "I learned the basics of the industry through my work as a salesperson at a curtain manufacturer, handling flooring and other products. interiors construction At the company, I was in charge of sales for the first two years, and then I became in charge of production as a result of job rotation, and I was able to experience the entire flow of interiors construction in the area I was in charge of."

After that, he moved to an interiors company specializing in commercial stores, where he was involved in sales and production of stores for overseas luxury brands, and this is when an idea was born for Koanuki.

Onuki: "I began to think that I wanted to try working in a wider variety of fields. I had just turned 40, so I wanted to further develop my own skills and jump into an environment where I could realize them, which led to my decision to take on a new challenge."

He decided to work at NOMURA, Ltd. The deciding factor was the wide range of projects they handle.

Onuki: "I was attracted to NOMURA because they have a wide range of targets, including commercial and cultural facilities, and the possibility of being involved in projects in a variety of markets."

Immediately after joining the company, Onuki was entrusted with a major project: the Hotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Villa project.

Onuki: I joined the project when the design had been completed and construction was moving forward. At that time, the plans changed due to the impact of COVID-19, and I ended up overseeing everything from the design to the construction of the guest rooms and lobby restaurant. Around 12 employees in Tokyo and Osaka were involved in this project, and for the first six months or so I worked alongside the previous sales representative, after which I was in charge alone.

At the time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of our interactions were online. I also had many concerns, such as joining a project that was already underway in the middle, and working with members from Osaka, who were far away.

We made efforts to communicate with them if there was even the slightest bit of concern, but more than anything, we were able to bring it all together without any problems thanks to the support we received from the designers and directors (production management) on how to proceed."

Through this project, Onuki says he realized the difference between hotel design and the commercial store design he had worked on in his previous job.

Onuki: "Commercial stores are often designed from the perspective of the staff, but I felt that a hotel is different in that it places importance on the perspective of the guests as well as the staff. There are also a lot of guest rooms. For example, in a hotel with 100 rooms, if a mistake worth 20,000 yen is made in one room, the total loss will be 2 million yen. I was able to learn the difficulties that come with large scale management through hands-on experience."

Working hard as a JOB leader on the company's largest hotel project

For Onuki, his experience at NOMURA was a continuous series of challenges. After joining the company, he completed several large projects in which he was responsible for both design and construction, and was selected as the job leader for a renovation project for a foreign-affiliated luxury hotel.

Onuki: "This was one of our largest hotel projects to date. We received a total order from design to construction, and I was in charge of three major areas: the guest rooms, the lower floors, and the 22nd floor. It was an extremely difficult project, as we had to completely renovate the hotel in about 10 months while it was still in operation.

The most difficult part was the number of people involved. We had to coordinate with about 100 people both inside and outside the company.

In addition to our in-house designers and engineers, we also had people from PM (※1) companies and AM (※2) companies. We had to consider who to get approval from and agreement from, as well as human relationships, and assign tasks appropriately to meet the customer's needs."

In order to ensure the success of this large-scale project, Onuki focused on "increasing the amount of action."

Onuki: "I took initiative, contacted many different people and got the things I needed to do done. I did it analogically, writing down task lists and notes in notebooks and then erasing them one by one. I used a total of four notebooks over the course of the year and a half that this project took."

Through this project, Onuki rediscovered the appeal of his own work.

Onuki: "It's hard to have so many people involved, but it's also fun. We work together with other members of the company to come up with various ideas and respond to customer requests. There's only so much I can do on my own, but I find it rewarding to be able to put together a big project while putting the right people in the right positions."

*1 Project management: A company that comprehensively manages and promotes a project's quality, schedule, costs, etc.
*2 Asset management: a company that manages and protects investment assets on behalf of the owner.

Taking on new challenges at NOMURA while enriching his private life

It has been four years since Onuki joined NOMURA Now that he has successfully completed a large-scale hotel project, he is aiming for even greater heights.

Onuki: "I want to become a presence that people can trust with large-scale hotel projects. I would also like to venture into fields other than hotels in the future.

One of the reasons I changed jobs was to try working in a wider variety of fields, and I'm starting to realize that dream. I'll be working on projects in fields with different scales and budgets, pursuing the best possible manufacturing with the diverse members of the company. I feel that this is exactly the environment I was looking for."

Another attractive feature of NOMURA is the good work-life balance.

Onuki: "Compared to my previous job, the way I work has improved a lot. Thanks to this, my son was able to get a dog, which he had always wanted, and we enjoy walking the dog in the park on weekends."

Onuki has a message for those who are considering joining NOMURA

Onuki: "I think this is especially suitable for people who want to try a variety of jobs and have the desire to take on big projects. Even after joining the company, you may be entrusted with large projects. This is both an opportunity and a responsibility, but I think the environment is in place where you can grow through such challenges. I'm looking forward to the day when I can work with people who want to take on new challenges like me."

Onuki's new challenge at NOMURA, Ltd. has just begun. His work of bringing together the strengths of his team members and turning his customers' dreams into reality will further enhance the true value of NOMURA

*The information provided is current as of June 2024.