Supporting Nissan’s Growth as a Compass for Corporate Management
from a Financial Perspective
Our team’s core missions are twofold. First, to develop accounting guidelines that are clear and easy for many Nissan employees to understand. Second, to provide financial accounting advisory services that support critical management decisions. Accounting acts as a compass for corporate management, and the guidelines that mirror this are not only for executives but also serve as operational guidance for many employees beyond the accounting department. To make accounting more approachable, we aim to craft guidelines expressed in simple, understandable language. Recently, attention has been focused on bookkeeping and accounting knowledge as valuable additional skills, and we hope that through these guidelines, each employee will be able to acquire accounting skills and use them to grow as an individual.
At the same time, it’s essential for top management—those making key decisions—to fully understand the accounting treatments that influence their judgments. During Nissan’s major transformation, including the swift implementation of the ‘Nissan NEXT’ business restructuring plan announced in May 2020, our role involved consulting with external auditors, standardizing group-wide accounting processes, and advising relevant departments. Providing prompt, accurate financial advice during such a turbulent period was a critical responsibility.
Seeking “Products” That I Could be Proud of My Child、
Jump Into The Industry Facing a Drastic Transition
Previously, I worked at an American auditing firm, mainly performing package audits at overseas branches of listed companies. However, I was increasingly attracted to the presence of companies that take pride in their products and technologies. As a back-office professional, I wanted to be in an environment where I could contribute—even indirectly—to the company’s products.
My father also transitioned from an auditing firm to a business company, and I was inspired by how he happily talked about his company’s proprietary technologies. One of my motivations was also to be able to tell my two-year-old son, “Daddy’s company makes this.” Although I received offers from various companies, my interest in the automotive industry led me to join Nissan. I have loved cars since childhood—longing for the X-Trail my friend drove, and now enjoying the new Serena with my family. When I joined Nissan, the company was undergoing a major transformation, and as a user myself, I was drawn to the opportunity to see the company’s future from inside.
Utilizing External Auditor Experience to Overcome the Storm
of Business Restructuring
Since joining, I participated in a two-and-a-half-year project to revise global accounting guidelines. I also contributed to the implementation of ‘Nissan NEXT,’ the company’s business restructuring plan announced in 2020, providing advice on group-wide accounting treatments, impact assessments, and reporting. At that time, Nissan was navigating turbulent waters—working to improve production efficiency at plants worldwide and adjusting employment levels. I believed that “Nissan can become even better through this restructuring,” and placed myself in the middle of this storm. Witnessing Nissan incorporate new value into its business during such a challenging time was a rare and valuable experience.
Many companies I worked with as an external auditor faced significant impairments or divestitures due to poor performance. I feel that my experience with asset impairment accounting was especially useful during Nissan’s recovery efforts. Moreover, with the rapid adoption of new accounting standards and the “smartification” of vehicles, automotive industry accounting has become increasingly complex. Playing the role of an “insider” providing advice from an external auditor’s perspective has been a significant change.
Envisioning a Future Beyond Business Reform
— As a Nissan Fan and Employee
Within our finance and accounting group, we are in a particularly unique position to gain a global perspective on the issues Nissan faces. By being involved in the company’s internal transformation, we are continuously discovering areas that need change. These include, for example, the renewal of various business systems, improving work efficiency, strengthening customer focus, and developing employees—there are no end to these efforts. Moreover, I believe that we need to undertake drastic changes to create a new dimension of Nissan—beyond the current trajectory. As a user and a fan, I want to see Nissan’s future that extends beyond just automobiles, exploring new possibilities and innovations.
Of course, I am now in a position to support that future. To do so, my goal is to go abroad again, cultivating broad knowledge and experience about local companies, regional strengths and weaknesses, and characteristics. I also aim to become involved in management. For Nissan, a global company representing Japan with the Hinomaru on its back, realizing this vision is by no means a distant dream.
