Kato Nana (加藤奈菜) discusses her career overseeing human resources across Europe from her base in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and her efforts to take on new challenges while living abroad with her family.
Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, she is currently responsible for human resources across Europe. Her wide-ranging responsibilities include developing and implementing talent strategies aligned with regional business objectives, strengthening organizational capabilities, fostering corporate culture, and planning and promoting employee development initiatives. Her area of responsibility extends across a broad region, from Spain and Ireland in the west to Turkey in the east. Her role is to balance regional management with local needs while responding to the cultures, labor laws, and regulations of each country.
Because her work covers Europe as a whole, she approaches her daily responsibilities from both global and local perspectives. She holds online meetings with members of the Tokyo headquarters and European offices, prepares documents, and also attends external seminars.
She says the appeal of working in human resources lies in being able to promote the growth of people and organizations while contributing to business growth. She also discusses both the difficulty and the rewards of strengthening the organization by sharing Sojitz Group’s policies while respecting Europe’s diversity.
Support from her family is the driving force behind her overseas assignment. She is inspired every day by her 9-year-old daughter’s adaptability, and on holidays, she values spending time with her family visiting destinations across Europe and experiencing their cultures and history.