How Does an Overseas MBA Translate into Work? Three Sumitomo Corporation Employees Reflect on the Value of Learning and Practice in Business

What first prompted you to pursue an MBA?

Ozaki I had a growing sense that I wanted to make up for deficiencies in my skillset. I had worked at a company in the United States as the only Japanese member of the sales team and the only secondee representing a shareholder, and I found it difficult to build consensus and coordinate effectively among local management, employees and shareholders located in Japan. That experience made me want to learn leadership that would truly work on a global level. This is what led me to pursue an MBA.

Nakayama Through my experience in M&A projects and launching new businesses, I became increasingly aware of gaps in my skills and capacity to solve problems compared with my supervisors. To gain a clearer, more holistic view of business leadership, I decided to pursue an MBA.

Kou I had always been interested in management. One reason I joined Sumitomo Corporation was that I believed it would offer opportunities to engage in both business investment and management. After joining, I visited several countries in a sales role, and while stationed at a company in China I also served as executive assistant to the president, which allowed me to engage with both frontline operations and management. That made me want to study management in a more systematic way and apply it to my future career.

You each studied at different business schools. Which classes left the strongest impression on you?

Ozaki At MIT Sloan, from the second semester of the first year onward, almost all classes were taken in teams that students formed among themselves. One experience that particularly stands out was a course in which four of us lived together in Lima for about three weeks while working with a local company to help solve one of its business challenges. There were moments when opinions clashed, but by understanding what each member was trying to convey while also explaining my own thinking logically, I was able to build trust. In the end, moving the project forward together as one team became a major learning experience.

It also changed the way I thought about leadership. I previously believed that a leader was someone who had the answers and guided members in a single direction. But through studying abroad, I realized that a true leader brings out the strengths of every team member.

Kou At Harvard, the defining feature is that classes are entirely discussion-based in a case study format. Using actual business situations as teaching material, around ninety students per class debate exhaustively how they would approach the situation as leaders.

One case that left a strong impression on me involved a mining company. After an accident in which several employees lost their lives, management had to decide whether to suspend operations at the mine or keep it running. If operations stopped, losses of one billion yen per day would result. But if operations continued, lives could be put at risk again. In a situation where the limits of business judgment were laid bare, management had to make the ultimate decision of weighing profit against human life. The businesses we engage in are also a continuous series of questions without any single correct answer. That case made me acutely aware of the difficulty of taking responsibility and making decisions at the top.

How is what you learned at business school being applied in your current work?

Kou I am currently involved in M&A, exploring new investment opportunities, and many things I learned at business school apply directly to this work. Examples include demonstrating leadership in project management, conducting valuations of target companies and interviewing management teams to understand how they think and make decisions.

Ozaki In my current role in the Investment Advisory Department, when analyzing new sectors and companies that may become investment targets, one major benefit has been developing the habit of thinking systematically by using frameworks such as the Five Forces*. At business school, many students also gain practical experience through internships during the summer break, and I myself spent two and a half months interning at a strategy consulting firm. There, I learned practical methods for gathering information on potential investment targets through methods such as expert interviews, and how to incorporate that information into investment decisions, something that has proved extremely useful in my current work.

Nakayama The biggest change for me has been gaining a broader, more holistic perspective of my work. From a management standpoint, I now focus on overseeing the team as a whole – including overseas operations – while fostering an environment where individuals think independently and continue to grow. From a strategy perspective, I have learned to start with a rigorous analysis of existing businesses and markets, identify core value drivers, and then formulate strategy by integrating perspectives from finance, marketing and beyond.

While studying at business school, in what ways did your previous experience and career at Sumitomo Corporation prove useful?

Ozaki At business schools like MIT Sloan, there are many people who graduated from elite universities and have worked at globally renowned companies, so at first, I worried whether I would really be able to hold my own among them. But what I realized through classes was that because I had already accumulated practical experience at Sumitomo Corporation, I also had strengths that stood out. If I had to express this in one phrase, perhaps it would be "frontline capability." At business school, discussions can easily become overly theoretical, but having faced a wide range of real issues alongside stakeholders in Japan and overseas since my twenties proved extremely valuable in keeping discussions grounded in reality.

Kou At Sumitomo Corporation, you experience a broad spectrum of work, from investment to frontline business operations, and that experience proves valuable in almost every MBA class. At business school, the basic assumption is that if you can't create value through discussion, there is little point in being there. In that sense, people from trading companies are able to contribute to grounded discussions based on real practical experience. For this reason, I think there's strong synergy between working at a trading company and studying for an MBA.

Nakayama Overseas, industries and functions are often relatively fixed, so many of my classmates tended to view issues primarily through the lens of their own specialization. By contrast, people from trading companies are able to step back, examine from a broader perspective and offer views from multiple angles. In team-based classes, there were many situations where students from trading company backgrounds naturally took the lead in problem-solving. More than anything, the experience gave me confidence in the skills and experience I had developed at Sumitomo Corporation and made me realize just how sophisticated our business is.

What kind of value do you think MBA holders can bring to the Sumitomo Corporation Group?

What aspects of preparing for business school applications were particularly challenging?

Kou The first major hurdle is achieving the necessary score in English proficiency tests such as TOEFL or IELTS. My impression is that 70–80% of people aiming for an MBA struggle to reach the required score and end up giving up at that stage. But what matters is persevering through those difficult months. At Sumitomo Corporation, there are many MBA alumni in addition to your peers. Asking them about study methods, interview preparation and general approaches to life overseas is very helpful.

Ozaki Test scores matter, of course, but expressing yourself in interviews is most important. You have to think carefully about your career experience, what you've learned and what you hope to achieve by applying that knowledge after earning your MBA. It's a process of thorough self-examination and putting your thoughts and motivation into words.

Nakayama In my case, I was repeatedly asked questions such as: "What are your values?" and "What matters most to you in life?" Preparing for business school became an opportunity to think deeply about life itself.

Finally, is there anything you would say to someone considering taking on an MBA?

Nakayama At business school, there are many highly driven people from around the world, including those who have invested all their personal savings to be there. Of course, the practical learning is valuable, but the stimulation you receive from such peers will also become a lasting asset. I have never heard anyone say they regretted pursuing an MBA. If you truly want to go, don’t give up – take on the challenge.

Ozaki I agree, I’m only glad I went. At the same time, 1.5–2 years is a significant amount of time, and depending on the person, some sacrifices may be unavoidable. Carefully laying out the reasons you want an MBA and why studying abroad is necessary for your own career is a crucial step. After thinking it through, if you’re still inspired to go, then trust that path and move forward.

Kou I've heard that some people who acquire an MBA while working for Japanese companies return home feeling their experience doesn't necessarily connect with their day-to-day work. But at Sumitomo Corporation, with its wide-ranging business portfolio, there are countless fields where diverse learning can be applied. Combining the latest frameworks for management and investment learned at business school with Sumitomo Corporation's strengths, corporate culture and networks, alongside one's own individuality, I believe we can all become trading company professionals with truly strong leadership and management skills.