[Interview with new executive officer] Responsible for business and organizational growth - Towards a company full of opportunities for talent to blossom

Masaomi Takagi was announced as an executive officer of XICA in October 2022. He joined XICA in July 10 and served as head of the Customer Success Department and Marketing Department. In January 2018, he was appointed head of the MAGELLAN Business Division, and as head of the division, he has led the expansion of MAGELLAN's business.

Following the major shift in business policy and the accompanying organizational restructuring, we spoke to Takagi about what he aims to achieve as an executive officer going forward.

Executive Officer,
Business Headquarters Customer Success Department
Masaomi Takagi

He joined Keyence Corporation and engaged in sales of factory automation equipment to major transportation manufacturers. After that, he worked in advertising sales at Gree, Inc., and as a senior manager in the marketing department, he was responsible for all aspects of marketing, from research and planning to execution and analysis. He joined XICA in July 2018. He joined the company as deputy head of CS, and after serving as head of both sales and marketing, he became head of the MAGELLAN division before becoming an executive officer.

The mission is to achieve sales and build an organization.

──Please tell us about the mission you will undertake as an executive officer.

In both business and organizational aspects,Committed to achieving company-wide sales and building an organizationI will continue.

XICA offers total marketing solutions that utilize data science, including the integrated marketing analysis tool "MAGELLAN" and "ADVA," which supports marketing strategies from formulation to execution.

Up until now, we have proposed solutions to our clients one by one, but going forward, we will provide comprehensive support for the entire marketing process for advertiser companies, from strategy formulation to execution and effectiveness verification, as an integrated solution.

-- You will now be committed to producing business results and managing the company, but what do you think are the unique strengths and appeal of XICA's business?

First of all,Human Resources Strength.

Because XICA has its origins in data science, it has attracted excellent data scientists. While many companies have issues in not making effective use of data, XICA has been developing a business that specializes in these issues since its founding 10 years ago, with data science as its core competency. There are very few companies in Japan that originate from data science. In that sense, I think it is a very unique strength.

the other one is,Rather than replacing existing businesses, we are creating new businesses that have never existed before.I think this is a very startup-like and challenging aspect.

The marketing industry has long faced the challenges of being unable to visualize advertising effectiveness and being unable to carry out integrated marketing. They are trying to use data science to turn the common sense and practices of marketing that have remained unchanged for over 50 years. This is something that I personally find very appealing.

-- What is the first thing you are planning to do right now to generate business results?

XICA has made a major shift in its business by strengthening the integration of each solution and by adopting a policy of providing comprehensive support to customers' entire marketing processes. Accordingly, the organizational structure has also undergone major changes.

In order to achieve results in new businesses, organizational strengthening is a priority. In particular, the sales organization, which is the first point of contact with customers,Not just the process, but changing the fundamentals of our stance and way of thinkingI believe it is necessary.

Specifically, what kind of organization are you trying to transform?

As with data science at its core, one of the strengths of XICA as an organization is its logical thinking. However, sales and consulting are human-to-human communication, so customers will not adopt you if you rely only on mechanical formats and logic. Humanity that comes through dialogue, and sometimes passion, are also necessary.

First of all,Create an organizational structure that places the right people in the right positions and a corporate culture that allows everyone to embrace the importance of both logic and emotion.To achieve this, we need the determination to destroy what has been taken for granted until now and build something from scratch.

A strong organization is one that is "pushed up"

── Mr. Takagi, you have made significant contributions to creating business results so far. Is there anything you pay particular attention to in order to achieve results?

First, XICA's Code of Conduct:XICA WAY" is also listed"Get to the essence"If you make a wrong decision when resources are limited, your business will not grow.

First, I decide on an action that will help the team grow. The accuracy of the hypothesis can be improved in two ways. The first is to look at the data (quantitative), and the other is to listen to the opinions of core members (qualitative).

Another important thing is,Design reviews that allow for accurate reflection so that mistakes can be corrected quickly.Even if you improve the accuracy of your hypotheses and execute them, it doesn't mean that everything will go well. If you can quickly and accurately look back at what went wrong, you can prevent yourself from continuing to move forward with the wrong idea. On top of that, it's important to take on challenges without fear of failure.

── What do you think is a "strong organization"?

I think that our members are strong members of our organization. To be more specific,In terms of proactiveness and initiative, members are more proactive than their managers.

A strong organization is one that is "pushed up"I think that's the state of a healthy organization. Of course, the basic skills are important, but I'm more interested in "what stance the person is taking" and "how they are trying to change."

This is not to downplay the skill.People who are willing to change will inevitably become more skilled.It is.

There are two types of "growth": "When you become more capable" and "When your base changes." In a sense, the fact that you can do more is natural. You could also say that you have become accustomed to the work. However,When the foundation changes, the growth is so dramatic that it amazes those around you.I don't know.

For example, if a lone wolf type of person who is completely uncooperative suddenly becomes friendly one day and starts organizing drinking parties, you'd probably say, "That person has really changed" (laughs).

As the saying goes, "When you change your mind, you change your actions. When you change your actions, you change your habits. When you change your habits, you change your personality. When your personality changes, you change your destiny."I believe that the experience of taking action with strong determination and even changing a habit is an experience that allows a person to grow greatly..

The basic foundation cannot be changed by superiors or management; they can only provide an opportunity. Unless the individual wants to change, it cannot be changed.

── When you look at XICA as an organization, how do you plan to develop its potential for growth?

XICA is a company that aims to "develop talent" with data science at its core, so one of its strengths is that it attracts members who are highly motivated to grow.

First of all,To provide an opportunity to stimulate members' motivation to grow and change their mindsetI think it is important to focus on people's strengths. AndConsider roles and placements that allow each individual to utilize their strengths.

From right-brained to balanced right-brained/left-brained

── You joined XICA in 2018. Over the past four years, have you ever had the experience of feeling that your talents were blossoming?

There are many, but the first one is,I used to be right-brained, but now I've been able to balance my right and left brain.I think it 's.

Speaking of skills, I had almost no experience in planning before joining XICA. When I was in sales, I just talked about selling things with demo machines (laughs), and as a marketer, I was always thinking about how to come up with interesting promotional plans that would appeal to the other party, so I was a completely right-brained person. Now I am giving feedback on the logic of my work to my team members, but if I were to look back at myself from four years ago, I would have wondered, "Who's telling me that?", since I had never done any logical thinking.

However, after joining XICA, I was able to improve my logical thinking. This was largely thanks to the guidance of the current COO, Mr. Yano. On the other hand, I think my determination to "definitely do it" was also a big factor.

I"Continue to improve your added value"This is his motto, and he even writes it on the back of his business card as what he sees as the key to developing one's talents.

I have been working hard on this, believing that it is absolutely necessary to acquire this in order to continue to refine the added value of my work. In terms of the "changed habits" I mentioned earlier, I have started to constantly ask "why?" in my work. I have also acquired the habit of questioning assumptions and asking "Is that really so?" in order to make sure I do not miss the essence of things. I think these were major talents that I saw bloom.

── What kind of talents do you think can be developed by working at XICA?

It depends on the person, so it's hard to say.It is a place where each person is provided with the opportunity to achieve their dreams., we can say that.

To become a company where people who want to grow gather and where there are plenty of opportunities for talent to blossom

--What kind of people would you like to work with in the new organization?

The most important thing is,Have a strong desire to growAlthough XICA claims to "develop talent," it is not a company that "lets you develop your talent." If the will to "develop your talent" is not at the core of the individual's will, the company cannot support them.

Also, it's a team competition, not an individual competition.People who can create synergy by working with multiple peopleI think he would be a good fit for XICA, and I would be happy to work with someone like him.

Also, I think it's a great environment for people who just want to focus on business. At XICA, we have members who are highly motivated to grow, and therefore highly skilled and mature. We have an environment where we respect each other,For those who are simply looking to grow themselves and their business, this is a very easy place to work and achieve results.I think.

── What do you think is the most interesting aspect of working at XICA?

An experience that changes long-standing conventions in the marketing industry and creates a new culture with your own handsThis is not something that any company can do. There are difficulties because there is no precedent, but I think creating a new business will be a very interesting experience.

In addition, in a recent survey, the top skills that working adults want to acquire are"Data Analysis"と"marketing"(*1). At XICA, which has data science as its core competency and aims to revolutionize the marketing industry, you can acquire both skills. I believe that it is an environment where you can make great strides as a business person.

── Finally, please tell us what kind of company you would like to develop into in the future.

XICA is a company that fosters talent,I want to make this a company where people who want to grow come together and where there are plenty of opportunities for talent to blossom..

If individuals grow, the business and the company will grow.To continue to be a company that can help develop talent if desired.I believe that is important.

My role is to provide each individual with an environment, position, and role that allows them to realize their own talents and to achieve sales targets for the business through the development of individual talents, so I would like to commit myself even more to management and fulfill my role.

(*1) 500 working adults who plan to put what they have learned into practice responded! The No. 1 answer to the question, "What IT skills and knowledge would you like to acquire in the future?" was statistical knowledge related to data - "en Tenshoku", "AMBI", and "Middle Tenshoku" user survey - People in their 30s and younger also pay attention to marketing and programming | en Japan https://corp.en-japan.com/newsrelease/2022/29308.html