CEO Insights Magazine

The Japanese IT industry has traditionally been dominated by giant, established players, making it challenging for smaller companies to carve out a niche. However, Jumpei Kawasaki, CMO of VEBUIN, is changing that. With a focus on human management resources and innovative thinking, VEBUIN has been able to establish itself as a leading player in the industry. Kawasaki's emphasis on expanding the company's reach both domestically and internationally, as well as developing its products and services, is helping to empower the Japanese IT sector and pave the way for a more diverse and competitive landscape. Let’s learn more from him.

Can you provide a summary of your professional history and background? What motivates you in your daily routine?
Commerce in 2002 at the age of 22 and began working as a sales representative for a jeans store at RIGHT ON. Over the next several years, I was appointed as Executive Officer and CIO at RIGHT ON, Director, and eventually became President and Representative Director at the age of 37. In 2020, I joined VEBUIN as CMO at the age of 40.

Throughout my 20s and 30s, I gained experience working for a large company and eventually becoming its president. In the future, I hope to use IT to tackle social issues and not only focus on sales and profits. My time as president taught me that people are often too consumed with immediate tasks to consider the future. I believe that IT is a powerful tool for creatively solving Japan's societal problems, and through my work at VEBUIN, I want to drive social change.

You have more than 15 years of experience. Can you describe your journey to success and share your secrets to achieving it?
When I became president of RIGHT ON, I faced an environment where personnel evaluations were based on seniority, and one had to be 40 to 50 years old to become a department manager. To overcome this, I made positive personal contributions beyond my boss's and department's requests. I provided opinions that unified the company when it was performing well, and when it wasn't, I suggested ideas to boost morale and improve performance. Since it's challenging to get people to listen to a young person without a position, I used company data analysis and external examples to persuade them. This experience will benefit me in my new role at a startup.

To succeed, I avoid prioritizing the company's success over everything else. I evaluate if my comments benefit society, the company, and the team instead of just my profit or someone else's loss. I present objective information so that everyone can make their own decisions and take action.

Since working with others can lead to friction, I prioritize communication to establish shared goals and awareness of issues.

How would you define VEBUIN as an organization and its current position in the market?
VEBUIN is a Japanese IT company that takes pride in its technical capabilities and project promotion of its Indian system engineers, who have mastered the theory of IT. This strength has allowed the company to expand since its establishment in 2015. VEBUIN aims to develop and deploy its own SaaS product as the number one SaaS product in Japan. This strategy can help the company establish a reputation for high-quality service and drive growth.

As the CMO, what strategies have you implemented to grow and engage new audiences in the market?
To expand globally, We are focusing on building brand recognition and customer loyalty in Japan. The company currently has two businesses: contract development and product development. For contract development, We aim to maintain strong relationships with current clients by proposing new ways to improve their performance. Success with current clients will serve as a case study for future expansion.

In the product business, we are working towards becoming the number one SaaS product in Japan by rebranding and promoting its workflow and expense reimbursement system, SMARTFLOW. The company is also forming partnerships to develop products and services in areas like technical support for a unique Japanese CRM system, digital sports media, and business infrastructure for school teachers.

Our team at VEBUIN aims to provide innovative solutions that can change society and benefit their clients' companies. We believe that understanding the clients' role in society is key to providing the best IT solutions that lead to success.

What is the future destination you are heading towards?
Our company doesn't have a specific vision for the future, but instead, we prioritize rapid business growth through our broad management philosophy of 'We Build Innovation for a Better Society'. Currently, three board members oversee all aspects of our business and are committed to expanding our scope. Additionally, we're focusing on training and hiring internal human resources, including Japanese and Indian employees and university students, to help us expand our business in the future. We believe that once we have entrepreneurial-minded human resources capable of managing projects like a business, VEBUIN's potential will be limitless.

Given your extensive experience in the industry, what guidance would you offer to emerging industry leaders?
Our organization values the JUGAAD spirit that is inherent in the Indian youth  achieving more with fewer resources. We are not limited by conventional thinking but rather overcome obstacles by generating innovative ideas to realize our goals and objectives. In today's ever-evolving world, we are at a pivotal moment and there will be numerous changes and challenges to face in the business environment. However, rather than allowing them to constrain our thinking, we must embrace creative ideas to surmount these obstacles.

Jumpei Kawasaki, Chief Marketing Officer, VEBUIN
Jumpei is a marketing strategist with over 15 years of experience in the IT industry. He is currently the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at VEBUIN Kawasaki is known for his innovative ideas and strong leadership skills, and he has played a key role in expanding VEBUIN 's reach and establishing the company as a trusted name in the industry.