Kevin Kikuchi

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Kevin was born and raised in London and after graduating from university has worked for major Japanese trading companies in London. With Japanese background on his father's side, he has always had a deep affinity with the country and his love for the culture, warm-hearted environment and great cuisine found in Osaka has led him to move there in 2017. Since then, he has had experience in managing an IT start-up and setting up the CRCC Asia Osaka office from scratch.

What is your favorite travel memory?

My favorite travel memory was trekking in Kyrgyzstan when I was still in my teens. I had already experienced traveled to numerous countries, but mainly in Europe. Experiencing a completely different culture was eye-opening and for the first time, allowed me to understand that people can connect even with a language barrier through our community service work there.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

This company is run by highly motivated staff from various backgrounds so every day is a new lesson on new cultures. It has provided me with new perspectives that have pushed my creativity, an attribute that is heavily required for my position.

The company has also allowed me to network with various companies and organizations in Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe, improving my understanding of business and economy within West Japan.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

One of our alumni was hired by their host company and is now doing programming work for them remotely. As they saw huge potential in him, they gave him a senior position as 'Chief Data Scientist' role to show their commitment and faith towards him. Should he choose to, he will be able to return to Osaka to work for this company after his graduation.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I would definitely be interested in having an internship in Seoul (South Korea). I happen to be half South Korean, but surprisingly, I never visited the country, so there would be no better opportunity than participating in an internship program in Seoul! I have seen the successes they have had in their city and I would never say no to having Korean food every day!

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

I knew from the moment I had attended the first interview that the staff at CRCC Asia are passionate to help people. This unanimous goal fosters an environment where we are motivated to provide the best programs to our participants.

I was extremely proud to have had such high satisfaction scores from our interns after our very first internship program. Furthermore, CRCC Asia's activities have attracted the interest of government organizations and huge accelerators in Osaka thanks to all the positive reactions we got from our host companies who took in these interns.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

I believe having a group of people with similar goals and passions is key to success for any company. Sharing your successes with people with similar values can be rewarding and when in a difficult situation it is easy to lose sight of goals, but having someone next to you with similar ambitions can spur you on.