Aiming to Be the Best Accounting Office in Singapore

―Please tell us about your vision for the company going forward.

It is my hope that we can continue to grow by reinforcing our existing strategy based on the industries we emphasize on and continue establishing new pillars in other industries. And on the service quality front, I hope we can become the No. 1 accounting office in Singapore.

―Are you thinking of expanding into any other countries?

It is on the table. We are giving particular consideration to countries that, like Singapore, may become financial hubs. We would like to increase our presence and value by deciding on the right new territories to move into, based on a careful analysis of those territories’ major industries and strategically working on those industries.

A Vision for Human Resources

―Could you tell us what kind of employees you look for and why?

Hmm... I guess that would be the kind of people who make moves to take an interest in and learn about the people and cultures of other countries, who engage in total communication, and who enjoys that. I think this is a crucial mindset to work not only in Singapore but anywhere overseas. In Singapore especially, there are various cultures and people with lots of different ways of thinking coexist, so there are a lot of opportunities to interact with them.

Another kind of employee I look for would be those who are willing to take opportunities in new environments. We have a lot of work, and a lot of opportunities we can provide. We will generally support the kind of employees who seek to utilize the advantages that differ from the large-scale offices and build up a great deal of experience for personal growth.

【Interview with One of the Employees】Mr. Okikura / CPA (Japan)

―Why did you choose to work at a Japanese accounting office located overseas?

In 2011 when I passed the certified public accountant exam, Japan had just experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake and so Japanese companies weren’t in a good state. Southeast Asia, on the other hand, saw fabulous growth in its companies and cities—it was like the opposite of Japan. That was the kind of world we were living in at the time, and so I wanted to support Japanese companies expanding into Southeast Asia and to contribute to the growth of Japan.
My previous job was at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC, where I handled Beverage companies that are good at working around Asia, and built up experience at auditing. After that I was transferred for just under two years to Deloitte Jakarta, where I worked on auditing for Japanese companies in Indonesia. However, after returning to Japan, I often found myself feeling that there were limits to supporting overseas Japanese companies from within Japan.
I decided that, in order to provide support rooted in practice and gain the trust of clients, I needed to jump into the field and make a long-term commitment rather than being a fixed-term expatriate, so I decided to get a job at a Japanese accounting firm overseas.

―Why did you choose Aoyama Sogo Accounting Office over the other options?

The main reason was that it has the strength of having specific industries it specializes in. I believed that I could distinguish myself as an accountant by specializing in the industries and countries/regions that are my strengths. There was also the fact that I was previously in charge of auditing for the real estate industry and was fascinated by the financial industry.
On top of that, my previous job was at a large firm, where each department had its own specialists, and there were boundaries between those departments. I really wanted to meet the clients’ needs across the board, so I looked for work at a mid-sized office.

―Is there anything you have found difficult since joining the company? How do you feel you have grown?

It’s still only been a few months, but I feel I’m growing every day. In my last job, I was just one of around 6,000 employees, and it was difficult to know how much my work was actually contributing to our customers. Now I’m one of 50 employees and so I can really feel, as I go about my daily work, how my own growth is directly connected to the growth of our clients and that of the company. It is of course sometimes difficult that the scope of the work I, as an individual, handle has become broader, but I want to highly value the environments I’m able to confront, so I really hope that I can lay down roots here and grow significantly.