35: Malik Roumane, President & CEO, Edenred Japan

Born and educated in France, Malik Roumane details his journey to
Japan, revisiting his experiences at Saint-Gobain, Cartier, Van
Cleef and Arpels, Carrera y Carrera, Classic Fine Foods, and now
Edenred, where Mr. Roumane is the company President and CEO.


 


Mr. Roumane shares valuable insight in leading in Japan through
patience, persistence and an open attitude. In order to enhance
communication with his staff, Mr. Roumane actively participates
in social events and has breakfast or online meetings with small
groups to share about his life outside of work to create a more
personal bond. By doing so, he believes his employees will in
turn open up as well and be more trusting. He explains: “[In
Japan] it takes more time for people to listen to you and to
believe in your ideas…but when they [do believe it], they go for
it. And they are extremely precise, they want to do things
perfectly.”


 


Additionally, to increase employee engagement, Mr. Roumane
encourages his team to take online classes, practice speaking
English and take full advantage of digital tools. Mr. Roumane
claims: “In order for people to develop, they need to be exposed
to the outside world. And the outside world is education training
seminars, talking to people, getting inspired.” Mr. Roumane leads
by example and constantly pushes himself to be exposed to new
ideas, which he believes has helped him manage business in Japan.


 


Based off his own experiences, Mr. Roumane gives fantastic advice
for any foreigner who is looking to successfully lead in Japan.
He emphasizes the importance of opening up and sharing one’s
personal side to establish a more trusting bond, but advises to
maintain a good balance and not overpromise in order to run a
profitable business. Mr. Roumane adds the value of patience and
persistency to win trust. He explains: “if you're persistent,
people around you will say, “wow, this is somebody we can trust
because this person has a view, has a vision, and he builds on
this vision.”