Know MC's People

When I was assigned to the Investor & Shareholders Relations Department, I was responsible for fielding telephone inquiries and requests for meetings from all of MC's investors and analysts. I struggled with the work though, because it required me to think and react on the fly, which I wasn't very good at. One of my superiors, whom I have great respect for, told me that the key was paying close attention and not "missing a moment." My problem was that I would have to go back and forth with people many times before I had a sufficient grasp of things. For example, if a caller wanted to set up a meeting, I'd have to double or triple check with them after they called to confirm all of the details, such as what they wanted to discuss, who'd be attending from their side, and so on. Really though, I should have been able to pick up on all of those things from their initial phone call. These inquiries were coming from a lot of companies too, so sometimes I struggled to schedule everyone in.
All information, regardless of its source, is only fresh for a time. This is obvious with respect to the stock markets, but it's also true for work, personal relationships, and so on. To pick up on what's "fresh" in my job, I have to read a variety of cues during these phone calls and meetings. An analyst's tone of voice, an investor's facial expression or verbal interjections when I'm speaking, those little signs are what often tell me what the other party really wants, and when I communicate with them, I need to show them that I'm picking up on that. In fact, the ability to do so can even lead to new business opportunities. "Don't miss a moment" is a good phrase I think, because it conveys all of that advice, and I've kept it firmly in mind ever since my boss said it to me.

In addition to helping put together materials for meetings to explain MC's financial results, its integrated report and other important disclosures, I'm responsible to communicating MC's growth trajectory when we meet with the investors and analysts who rely on that transparency. My mission is to ensure that all of that work leads to a continuous rise in the value of MC stock.
Even though the sogo shosha business model is familiar to people here in Japan, it's still not very well understood in other countries. It can be a challenge to explain to an overseas investor how MC creates new value or what its long-term vision is, so I share ideas with employees from the business groups and work with them to draft disclosure documents, plan events for different kinds of investors, and otherwise paint as clear a picture as I can of MC and its operations. The integrated report is a very helpful medium, because it's one thing in particular that I can get direct feedback about from all of MC's stakeholders.
Trying to disclose the best information possible while remaining conscious of MC's expected market value is a daily process of trial and error. This mission is a very challenging one, but it's also very rewarding.

I'd like to help boost MC's corporate value. The Tokyo Stock Exchange's market restructuring has raised expectations for good returns from Japanese stocks, and the Nikkei average has been in fairly lofty territory since the spring of 2023. Investors are going to continue expecting a high level of disclosure and communication from Japanese companies.
MC understands this and has been working hard to engage more with investors and disclose more financial and non-financial information to them. My goal is to continue watching the capital markets closely to ensure that my own work supports MC's future growth, in terms of not only information disclosure and external communications, but also support for business developments and M&As. Considering how MC has ties to so many different industries and regions, I believe that those of us in its Corporate Staff Section can also play our parts to raise the company's value.