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 Co.,Ltd. in 2020. She belongs to the Sales Promotion Division, Second Business Unit, Sales Department 1, which handles hotel projects both domestically and internationally. The department has 15 members, each managing their own project as a project 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.

For large projects, we have a regular project-wide meeting once a week, and in preparation for that, we have many internal meetings and preliminary meetings with clients. We generally leave concept design to the designers, but if the material selection doesn't fit the budget or concept design has difficult specifications, we sometimes ask them to make adjustments to fit the budget.

NOMURA Co.,Ltd. 's strength lies in its ongoing relationships with customers, which allows it to maintain a high repeat purchase rate.

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 at a curtain manufacturer and an interiors construction company.

Onuki: "At the curtain manufacturer, I learned the basics of the industry through my work handling flooring materials and other products as a sales representative. At the interiors construction company, I spent the first two years or so in sales, and then, through job rotation, I also took on production responsibilities. I was able to experience the entire flow of interiors work in my assigned area on-site."

After changing jobs, Onuki worked for an interiors company specializing in commercial spaces, where he was involved in sales and production for overseas luxury brand stores. This experience sparked a certain idea in his mind.

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."

And so, the company I chose as my new workplace was NOMURA Co.,Ltd.. The deciding factor was the wide range of projects they handle.

Onuki: "I was attracted to NOMURA Co.,Ltd. because they handle a wide range of projects, including commercial and cultural facilities, and offer the possibility of being involved in projects in various 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 after the design was complete and construction was underway. At that time, there were changes to the plan due to the impact of COVID-19, and I ended up overseeing everything from the design to construction of the guest rooms and lobby restaurant. About 12 employees in total, from Tokyo to Osaka, were involved in this project, and for the first six months or so I worked alongside the previous sales representative, and after that I was in charge on my own."

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 Co.,Ltd. was a series of challenges. After joining the company, he successfully completed several large projects in which he was responsible for both design and construction, which led to his selection as a job leader for a renovation project of a foreign-owned luxury hotel.

Onuki: "This was the largest hotel project our company has ever undertaken. We received the entire contract, from design to construction, and I was in charge of three main 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.

While enriching her personal life, she continues to take on new challenges at NOMURA Co.,Ltd.

It's been four years since Onuki joined NOMURA Co.,Ltd. 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."

One of the appealing aspects of NOMURA Co.,Ltd. is its excellent 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."

Here is a message from Onuki to those who are considering joining NOMURA Co.,Ltd.

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."

On the stage of NOMURA Co.,Ltd., Onuki's new challenge has only just begun. Onuki's work, which involves uniting the strengths of the team members and turning customers' dreams into reality, will further enhance the true value of NOMURA Co.,Ltd..

*The information provided is current as of June 2024.