I am predominantly involved in hotel and real estate investment strategy creation, implementation and disposition, post acquisition by Goldman Sachs. “Tangible” assets, such as offices and hotels, make for a relatively easy investment to understand. It is necessary however, to fully understand from an investor perspective the economic trend, asset characteristic and the investment portfolio composition to create and execute the strategy.
Having the ability to “visibly” see the investment makes for an interesting job. If a building is renovated, you have the opportunity to see the before/after and the effectiveness of the renovation. An added advantage is that the experience gained on the job can also be put to use in your private life. Above all, it is rewarding to increase investor return and hit a home run at disposition. Asset Management is a new business that has grown over the past 10 years. We have a mix of people from different backgrounds, including real estate, finance and IT, and the ideas that are generated are diverse. GSRJL is a company that provides employees with an opportunity to step-up and develop. If you raise your hand for a project, it is highly probable that you will be assigned to that project.
My mother is Japanese and I lived in Japan for five years (age 3 to age 8) thus I am familiar with the Japanese language. After graduating from university in Australia, I was hired by a Japanese trading company in Australia as a local staff. I had the opportunity to work in both Japan and Australia and eventually joined an investment bank. The job involved earning fees from advising on client assets, however I came to the realization that I preferred to be involved in a business which directly handled “tangible” assets. As a result, I joined GSRJL with an opportunity to be involved in real estate investments. I feel that the banking environment was conservative and did not match my character. On the other hand, GSRJL is a company with a family-like atmosphere, with open communication, irrespective of position, nationality or gender.
As long as GSRJL entrusts you with new projects, I strongly feel that it is important to have the spirit to challenge new fields. After joining GSRJL, my first assignment was a small asset located in Kyushu. I met with numerous local brokers, with the majority having met a foreigner for the first time. You have to start somewhere. When I was asked to become involved with hotels, I took it as another chance and tackled it head-on. Nothing is lost by taking this opportunity. I am fully content with my present life. I’m doing what I want to do and what I’m doing is challenging. I cannot imagine what I will be doing in ten years time. This is probably proof that I am extremely satisfied with my current status.
It’s important to keep up with the changing society. Sticking to your own domain or background and limiting your own potential is not acceptable. The key is to keep challenging. Business know-how can be gained in three months.
