Interviewing Australian people
working in Australian enterprises

 

Interview: Kelvin Slade Marrying into Japanese culture and launching his career in Japanese industry gave Kelvin Slade insight and experiences he remains thankful for. Now back in his home state of Victoria working for technology giant NEC Australia, the economics major mixes his work as a business development manager with life in Melbourne, his wife Kumi and baby son. Fluent in Japanese and also accomplished in Chinese Mandarin and Spanish languages, Kelvinﾕs hobbies include swimming, Judo and meditation. Kelvin says his familyﾕs long-term goal is to establish a farmstay business at their rural property in the La Trobe Valley.

When did you live and work in Japan?
I learnt about everyday Japanese people and culture while living in Tochigi in 1995 as an exchange student and then working in Osaka from 1999 to 2002. In terms of the language, I was lucky enough to study in an accelerated Japanese program at Monash University.

What did you learn from living in Japan?
Japan seemed very alien to me and I had trouble understanding its value systems and decision-making. With time I learnt that there are many ways to look at something and the way we solve problems in our native cultures is only one potential solution. Becoming partially Japanese (by culture) has given me a far greater understanding of the breadth and infinite variety of life.

Could you share a funny or interesting anecdote regarding your experiences in Japan?
In my younger days I was much less risk-averse and after graduating, I bought a plane ticket, flew to Japan and arrived with $50. I could only just afford the train to my girlfriend's (now wife's) apartment. She supported us and we ate almost nothing but cabbage and miso-soup for months while I tried to find a job.

Tell us about your career path to date.
After moving to Japan I worked for a Coca-Cola subsidiary company in a logistics, import and supply role. I then worked for an industrial electronics manufacturer as its south-east Asia sales representative. In my current job, I am the business development manager for NEC Australia's RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) solutions. This requires an understanding of technology, regulation, business development, sales and marketing. I work with a lot of specialists who have far more in-depth understanding of the technology I manage. This is often a challenge as I attempt to co-ordinate technology specialists into working like a well-oiled machine - with varying success.

What are the biggest challenges and rewards in your work?
Mediating between the conflicting business practices and cultures of Japan and Australia is a big challenge. However, I believe we complement each other and when we work together well, the outcome is market-leading products and services.
How do you use your Japanese language skills and cultural understanding at work?
I communicate daily with my Japanese colleagues in Japan and Australia and work with specifications, pricing and technical manuals in Japanese.

Is working for NEC different from any other Australian company?
NEC has the staff and skills to make bringing new products to market much easier than it could be. With the company having been in business for 40 years in Australia and having many industry veterans, there is almost always someone with experience to help take a product or project to fruition. NEC is a very large corporation and as is the case in most large corporations, internal politics is often more difficult to overcome than the threat of our competitors. It is my first time working for such a large corporation and I am still getting used to it after three-and-a-half years.

What are your future aspirations?
I aspire to a role where I can further integrate my economics and business background into my IT industry experience and take advantage of my linguistic abilities in English, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. A longer-term aspiration is to build a farm stay business on my property in the La Trobe Valley, allowing visitors a chance to appreciate everyday farming country life.

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Interviewing Japanese people working in Australian enterprises

Interview:Lisa Araki Born In Kyoto in 1982 but moving to Australia just two years later, Lisa Araki says Sydney remains home for herself and her family. However Japan has loomed large in Lisa's career path. She studied arts and business at Sydney's University of Technology, including a year of international study at Yokohama National University. After university, Lisa went on to work for the NSW Government and later the Japan Exchange and Teaching program before landing her current job in the winter wonderland of Niseko, Japan. There she combines the "world's best powder snow" with her work for Australian company Niseko Alpine Developments.

Could you tell us what it was like having Japanese parents and being brought up in Sydney?
Apart from being confused when my parents would not allow my friends and I to play outside in bare feet (and then if we did, make us crawl into the house on our hands and knees to the shower), it was amazing. I have been extremely fortunate to have been brought up by such amazing parents who have easily embraced Australian culture.

Tell us about your experience studying at Yokohama National University?
I lived in an international dormitory where there were students from over 60 nationalities. Before studying at YNU, I had never met anyone from Uzbekistan, I had never eaten Tanzanian food and never been taught to dance by a Brazilian. If you have ever seen the film The Spanish Apartment, that's exactly what we were like. In my studies, I was placed in the advanced Japanese class. I am normally a good student, however I was downgraded to the intermediate class as I could not keep up with the Chinese students. I liked to think it didn't matter if I came last in a class test, but I did -- it was embarrassing!

Can you tell us your career path to date?
During university I worked with the NSW Government assisting the Business and Major Events division. Through that experience I was able to work on the 2005 Aichi World Expo promoting NSW Tourism and Education. Since then I have worked two years on JET as a Co-ordinator for International Relations and now I am currently residing in the little "Australian town" of Niseko, Japan.

What is it like working in Hokkaido for an Australian company?
Niseko Alpine Developments is a premium, Australia-owned project development company. We develop and manage high-end condominiums in Niseko. My first three months with NISADE was at the end of project completion, I would dream about interpreting construction terminology on snowy penthouse balconies.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love working in the home of the best powder snow on earth and sharing that with people who get equally excited when there has been a big dump of snow. It is also refreshing to work for an Australian company with real deadlines and meetings that have an agenda that has to be followed. Having said that, I have the best of both worlds as I constantly interact with Japanese builders, architects and contractors and continue to be astounded by their generosity and patience.

What are your plans for the future?
My ambition is to continue to enjoy what I do, and love where I am. I enjoy my work and on an average weekend from November through to April, I snowboard all day, eat kani-miso-ramen, then onsen. My plan is to either return to the government sector or pursue a career in health services after finishing a relevant degree.

What do you miss most about Australia?
I miss Australia every day. I miss my family, my friends, my dog, the beach, salmon and eggs benedicts with hollandaise sauce.

In your mind, are you Japanese or Australian?
This is a question many people ask me, but I still struggle to answer it well without being cheesy. I aspire to be the blend and balance of the two cultures I respect and love. Cheesy!