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MBA Connect Story:
Chiharu Kajinami (Japan), Full-time Class of 2012
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Chiharu Kajinami
Account Executive Director
Beijing Hakuhodo (China)
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When talking to Chiharu, one is amazed by her passion and her determination to experience every possible aspect of life. The possibility of studying for an MBA) degree first occurred to Chiharu during her undergraduate studies; when the right opportunity arose during her late twenties, she put the idea into practice. Two years have passed since Chiharu graduated with an MBA. She has recently relocated to Beijing to take up the position
of Account Executive Director at Hakuhodo, the second largest advertising company in Japan.
Could you briefly talk about your experiences before joining CUHK? What motivated you to take an MBA degree? And why an MBA in Asia?
Before joining CUHK, I worked for an Internet-media company for 6 years. I first became aware of the possibility of undertaking an MBA while studying for my undergraduate degree, but focused on work during my twenties, and had great fun doing so. By the time I turned 28, however, I had worked in various roles in the same company, and felt that it was time to move on to an MBA. First, I flew to New York, where I took the TOEFL and GMAT. As time passed, I became
more and more interested in Asia, especially its markets, languages and food. I realized that businesses across Asia—not only in Japan—were becoming more powerful than ever before. America was no longer Japan’s only business partner, and Japan’s business relations with other Asian countries were rapidly becoming stronger. Therefore, I felt that undertaking an MBA in Asia would be a good decision, especially as few people have an MBA degree from an Asian country. Since graduation, I feel even
stronger the uniqueness of it.I am now a global executive who is familiar with China and understands Chinese. These competitive advantages will be of great benefit in advancing my career.
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What was the greatest benefit to you of studying for an MBA with CUHK?
Obtaining an MBA at CUHK gave me access to a new world. After graduation, I had the opportunity to live and work anywhere in the world, not just Japan. Later, I decided to focus on China to develop my career further, because I have an extensive business network in China and Hong Kong, and I very much enjoyed living in both places
while studying for my MBA. In addition to career development, the MBA enabled me to make friends all over the world, with whom I meet up as often as possible. I go to classmates' weddings and even take part in marathons around the world so as to meet them up!
You took part in an exchange program to Peking University. How did the two MBAs and the two cities differ?
Hong Kong and Beijing are completely different in all respects: from their people, scenery, language and food to the cleanliness of their toilets. I believed that it was impossible to experience China adequately by staying in one place, so I visited more than 20 Chinese cities during my MBA. The MBA programs at CUHK and Peking University are also different. Peking University offers both a domestic MBA and an international MBA with an English-language component. As
most of the students at Peking University are local, its MBA is less diversified than the CUHK MBA. We spoke Chinese almost all of the time, and the environment was entirely China-focused. Studying at Peking University as part of the exchange program was thus a completely different experience than studying in Hong Kong.
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We know that you have recently published a book on the experience of undertaking an MBA in Asia. What inspired you to do so? Could you briefly introduce the book to us?
I discovered while applying for my MBA that there was little official information in Japanese on MBA programs in Asia. My only reference points were the business schools’ official information and Japanese alumni blogs. By the time I was
admitted to CUHK, I had made up my mind to write a blog about my life as an MBA student and share my experiences with potential Japanese candidates. After graduation, I talked to other Japanese alumni of MBA programs in Asia, and found that like me, they had greatly enjoyed studying for an MBA in Asia. Therefore, I decided to gather information on major MBA schools in Asia and publish these insights in book form.
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We know that you work for one of the biggest advertising companies in Japan, which also has a strong overseas presence. What competitive advantages do Japanese advertising companies have over other major players around the world?
The company for which I work, Hakuhodo, is the second largest advertising company in Japan and the ninth largest in the world. Our major strength lies in sei-katsu-sha insight ( 生活者); in other words, gaining an understanding of consumers as individuals with fully rounded lives. Since the 1980s, the company’s relationships with its many clients have been based on the principle of sei-katsu-sha. We now conduct marketing research worldwide, focusing in particular on
the Asian market. As a result, all of the branding work we do in partnership with our clients is based on sei-katsu-sha insights. This detailed research has strengthened our marketing planning and contributed greatly to the success of our clients’ marketing.
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You have recently moved to Beijing for work. How do you feel about this relocation, and how are you preparing for your new career?
I am happy to be back in Beijing because this setting enables me to deploy the specific knowledge and skills gained during my MBA studies in Hong Kong and China. During the MBA, I majored in China Business, and I also studied Chinese while living in both Hong Kong and China. I have recently resumed my study of Chinese for the first time in 2 years, which is probably the only preparation necessary, given my familiarity with Beijing. I am excited to embark on a new
stage of my career.
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More about Chiharu’s book
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Although interest in Asian MBA programs is increasing rapidly, there is little official information on them. To fill this gap, Chiharu’s book “アジアでMBA 〜もっと気軽に、もっと成長できる場所へ〜” (MBA in Asia – A carefree location for your development) combines information on 14 business schools in five Asian cities, as well as first-hand sharing from 21 alumni of these schools.The Kindle version is available now.
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