Swedish-born Mori has a strength in international networking. Three years ago, he left a major international firm to join Midas. He was met with high hopes that he would play a leading role in engaging multinational clients. Today, he oversees client relations (CR) while being a project director (PD). He reveals his inner thoughts about what makes Midas so unique.
A small company going for international projects
It has been 30 years since I landed in this country. I have now lived in Japan longer than in my own native country. Before joining Midas, I was in the sales force of a global supplier of in-flight cutlery, crockery and other amenities. I once had a managerial post at the Swedish chamber of commerce, as well. The previous PD was a French person, and he was not the only non-Japanese who ever worked in this company. It really shows that Midas’ operations are internationally oriented. It is by no means a big firm, but its portfolio is full of projects for major multinational corporations, which was a big appeal for me.
While my lack of prior experience was a little concern, I felt drawn to the aspect of helping clients with addressing their respective challenges through designing offices. I was mainly dealing with single-use products in my previous job, so I was also drawn to the fact that the work in which you played a part of would remain. The representative director smilingly said to me, “Put your experience and skills to good use, and you will be fine,” which gave me the final push to make up my mind.
Marketing goes effortlessly thanks to Midas’ well-grounded reputation
A PD is a project leader, responsible for overseeing the project and ensuring seamless communication among the stakeholders. I may be organizing a video conference, for example, with dozens of people participating from India, USA, Singapore, and other countries. Any project has its limits in terms of the building shape, property size, budget, schedule, and so on. Given this, you must be creative and do your best to deliver what the client wants. Every project presents certain challenges and is an opportunity to gain more mileage in my competence as a PD.
My other responsibility, as a CR, entails networking with people who I meet at the chamber of commerce, coworking offices, or professional parties and events. When I present my business card, I often have a response like “Oh, you are from Midas!” which is amazing. Many members of the international community already know our company because our roads have already crossed somewhere before, as a client or through networking. They are ready to listen to me even before I fully introduce myself. As sales personnel, I could not ask for more. It all comes down to all the successful work Midas has delivered consistently during its 50-year history.
Looking forward to future challenges in my new career path starting in my 50s
I was 52 when I delved into a totally new profession, feeling adventurous to change my career at this age. These three years have been a good learning curve, and I can now lead projects with confidence. The company’s friendly culture has been fundamental to my journey, allowing me to ask for advice when I needed it. The organization is very transparent, which makes it easier for me to ask questions and get my points across. There is no president’s office or designated chair in this compact organization. Midas is more like a family. Liberal thinking is one of the company’s strong suits, which you can see in their decision to employ someone like me, a senior foreign national without previous experience in the business.
I have no regrets about choosing Midas for the last career in my life. Here, I would like to be involved in many more projects and enhance my competence. Having made a mid-life career change in an unfamiliar industry, I would love to take advantage of my new expertise and stay an active player as long as I can manage. It would be wonderful to be able to face happy customers for as long as I work in this company. Working at Midas also gives me more time to spend with my family. The work-life balance being firmly established, the decision to join Midas was the right one.