Executive Officer, Head of Human Resources, Japan at Fidelity International, Naomi Tsuru is a highly experienced and dynamic Senior HR Business Partner. With extensive experience in supporting business leaders through complex people projects, Naomi excels at providing collaborative HR partnerships tailored to the specific needs of her clients.
Naomi’s approach involves identifying the current needs of her clients and developing strategies to address them effectively. She partners across the organization, working closely with colleagues to create a shared culture and foster an environment of innovation and creativity within the HR team. Her ability to navigate and manage complex HR initiatives makes her a valuable asset to Fidelity International, driving the organization’s human resources strategy and contributing to its overall success.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
What inspired you to pursue a career in business and ultimately become a business leader?
My first job was at Sony Music Group, where I chose to work in HR simply because I wanted to help people. Sony Music Group was not just in the music business, it had a diverse range of businesses, and they would move their people around these different businesses; someone working in record sales might be assigned to developing sales promotions for their cosmetic product lineup. Although it seemed like people could not always choose where they worked, I noticed that everyone was motivated and enjoying their work, and more importantly, the company was delivering strong financial results. It was an eye-opening experience for me, as I experienced firsthand that people can really excel when they are motivated, and I developed a strong interest in organizational strategy and management, which would eventually help me grow my HR career.
As a woman in a leadership position, what challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?
Japan’s Equal Employment Opportunity Act came into effect in 1986, and two years later I was in my senior year at university and looking for a job. As employers struggled to adhere to the new law and provide equal opportunity for women, the reality was far from equal. The vast majority of women only had access to administrative jobs earning lower pay and limited promotion opportunities and were expected to leave the workforce when starting a family. There was also a rock-solid stereotype towards women, which was probably the bigger challenge. Although I was in a more fortunate place as Sony Music Group was a joint venture with a US company, there were no women in management roles at that time, and four years into the job, it felt like a natural decision to resign when I got married. I quickly became bored staying at home and began working in a Japanese human resources service firm. An eventual divorce forced me to think more seriously about advancing my career and securing my financial independence.
When I began working in the foreign financial industry in 1997, I had another eye-opening experience; I had a female manager, and there were many other women in senior roles. I then moved to an HR role at Goldman Sachs Japan in 2000 and first learned about diversity & inclusion, which was already widely understood at Goldman. Many management roles were played by women, including the head of the HR division, and I finally felt freed from being stereotyped; I could stop limiting myself and deciding what I could not do. I was fortunate to realize that women can be equally successful as men in their careers, but I am also aware that there are many women who still have a tendency to draw the line themselves and limit their growth.
What strategies have you implemented to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace?
During my time at Goldman, I was one of the leaders for the Women’s Network and was passionate about creating a working environment where people can be themselves with less bias and enjoy their work. It was a natural decision to establish a Women’s Network committee and four other D&I committees (LGBT+, Culture, Enable, Family) with colleagues when I moved to Barclays.
For LGBT+, we were able to create a comfortable environment for LGBT+ colleagues and successfully organized a Coming out session, which was very helpful in creating awareness about unconscious bias.
Gender diversity is foundational for a diverse workplace, and shortly after I joined Fidelity International, the Japan office was lagging significantly behind the global percentage of senior roles filled by women. By conducting a thorough analysis of our talent pipeline and creating individual development plans, we were able to make remarkable progress in closing the gap with our global target.
How do you prioritize and manage your workload, especially when facing competing demands?
I am very fortunate to have a very supportive husband and family, making it possible for me to pursue my career interests and not slowing down. As I look back, there have been more times where I chose work over personal life and sleep, but I always made a point to strike a balance and spend time to enjoy my family, friends, and the occasional time-off on my own.
What are some key leadership traits that you believe are essential for success in your role?
Be open minded and take a multifaceted approach to forming views. This will require good listening skills and logical thinking.
Be curious and pay attention to the people you support, identify their strengths and support their career development.
Be flexible and quick to embrace change – businesses are moving at a very fast speed, and you will need to keep up or be ahead. This will require strong multi-tasking skills.
How do you measure the success of your team and the overall organization?
I am a firm believer that HR can play an influential and strategic role in the success of the overall organization. Success for my team is to create a working environment for employees to maximize their performance and attract excellent talents to our organization. For this, we are involved in the crucial discussions about organization design and resource allocation. It is important to guide leaders to stay focused on the people and their development, as businesses and leaders cannot succeed if they don’t get the people’s agenda right. Throughout my HR career, I have observed a strong correlation between business success and a highly motivated workforce.
What advice do you have for women who aspire to become COOs or hold other executive leaderships positions?
You need to own and drive your career, but that can sometimes be daunting, so look for role models, observe how they approach challenges or engage with others, and put those examples into practice. You also want a few mentors you can trust and have frank conversations with. The most important point I want to stress is to not set your own limit and never use the ‘I’m not ready for this” card when an opportunity comes by. You will learn from both successful and painful experiences, which will prepare you for your next promotion or expanded role. Women are inclined to be cautious about taking on more responsibilities, but having worked with many leaders, I can assure you there is a very rewarding experience when you are able to work, delegate and influence bigger projects and change, and enjoy successful outcomes together with your teams.
How do you stay current with industry trends and advancements in technology?
I always make a point to spend part of my time with my external network. An area in which I have been focused is the 30% Club in Japan, where I am vice chairman of the Investors group. As I have already mentioned, Japan has a long way to go to improve the workplace gender balance, and unless we change the status quo, we will always struggle to create a pipeline of female talent. The 30%Club has set a clear goal to achieve 30% female board membership at all the TOPIX 100 companies. These are the largest public companies in Japan, and if we achieve our goal, we should be able to create a significant domino effect in changing the Japanese workplace.
What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities facing businesses in the next 5-10 years?
It frustrates me that Japanese companies invest the least in their human capital and gender equal career progression among all developed nations, which is one of the reasons why foreign investments in Japan are limited. While there are some encouraging signs of change, this needs to accelerate. Investing in human capital should be one of the top priorities for all companies in Japan and is essential to creating corporate value.
How do you balance the demands of your professional and personal life?
I have learned over time how to prioritize quality of work over long hours at work, and this has helped me better balance my professional and personal life.
Website: www.fidelityinternational.com