ABOUT THE PROJECT COMPANY
WHO WE ARE
The Project Company is a business consultancy specialising in offering Human Resources and Marketing solutions to Japanese organisations.
In Japan, with a falling birthrate, ageing population and other various contributing factors, there are growing concerns of a stagnant and shrinking economy. The Project Company was founded to tackle those social and economical issues which Japan is facing and pursue various “Projects”, which can contribute to a better economy and society.
Why HR and Marketing? There are more similarities between HR and Marketing than many people realise. They both involve psychology, creative thinking processes and a forward-looking perspective. Moreover they both require the identification of strengths, integrated system design and are both crucial for the success of your business.
People generally say that you can understand a country better from the outside. That may be because you could gain new insights abroad and become able to look back at a country more objectively with them. Based in the UK, The Project Company has a profound understanding of the unique strengths that Japanese companies have, and opportunities these afford them. We will provide new insights and ideas to your organisation as well as provide valuable information in order for Japanese organisations in the UK and Japan to thrive, and design the best suited systems for your organisational goals.
Our clients come from a wide variety of sectors: manufacturing, financial, telecoms, media, trading, energy, professional services, non-profit, governmental organisations and more. We look forward to working with you and your organisation too.
The Project Company is a member of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the UK.
Kumiko Ishiyama
Managing Director & ConsultantKumiko was born in Chiba, Japan. After gaining a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, she began her career at Sharp Corporation in Japan, a consumer electronics company with more than 50,000 employees based around the world. She worked at Sharp for four years. During that time, she worked in sales support for manufacturing clients of integrated circuits before being progressed to a role in product planning and marketing of LCD TVs for the European and Russian markets.
While working with overseas colleagues in Sharp’s sales subsidiaries, Kumiko noticed the way cultural differences influence communication styles and human resource practices in organisations. She felt that the degree to which employees understand this influence has a great impact on international business success. She became fascinated with human resource management for a diverse workforce and subsequently decided to study in Europe. She moved to London in 2006 and subsequently gained an MSc in International Employment Relations and Human Resource Management at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
After successfully completing her master’s degree, Kumiko joined a British company and advised Japanese companies in the UK as an HR consultant. After two years in the company and inspired by the entrepreneurial British spirit, she set up as an independent consultant, providing HR consultancy services, cross-cultural seminars, and economic and market research. With the experience gained, in 2014 she founded The Project Company in London to provide the perspectives required for business success to a wider variety of clients, particularly in the areas of HR management and marketing.
Kumiko is committed to making a positive contribution to the community in which she operates. She is a volunteer mentor in the Steps Ahead Mentoring scheme organised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in partnership with the UK government and helps young jobseekers aged 18-24 in the UK to improve their employability skills. Kumiko is an associate member of CIPD and uses English, French and Japanese in her work. She has lived in London since 2006.
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