Graduate Interview
Catalina Marketing Japan K.K.
Tinnawat Nuangjumnong（Graduated from the School of International Liberal Studies, September 2010, Completed master’s degree at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacifi c Studies, September 2012, and PhD degree at the same school, July ）
Aiming to grow international cultures further, I became part of the club’s administration
As a freshman, I joined the Waseda International Festival (WIF)—an international exchange club run by students with strong enthusiasm in global culture. WIF conducts activities focusing on exchanging international cultures such as food, folk dance, and music. We also hold two stage performances a year to display these cultures. Later, I decided to step up and take the administrative role because I wanted to get student’s attention to international culture. I became the club’s representative in my senior year.
Running the club was challenging because it requires so much commitment from each member. The club was fundamentally driven by the members’ passion. At the same time, gathering sponsorship and audiences require strong sense of responsibility. I had to be very careful balancing out the obligations and the fun. My role as a leader broadened my perspective and changed the way I interact with people. It cultivated my skills to bring people together and get them motivated.
Making self-refl ection a habit leads to personal growth
In university, I mainly studied business and the Internet industry. In graduate school, I conducted research on user behavior in virtual environments and earned my doctoral degree. I focused my job search within the tech sector, where my expertise lies. I got my first tech job at an IT healthcare startup. I continued to build up my experience in different industries, with the focus on building my product management career.
Every day after work, I refl ect upon how I behave, what thoughts enter my mind, and what decision did I make in response to events in the world around me. This helps me appreciate the contributions I’ve made at work and understand what I need to work on. I think this self-refl ecting habit is the key to skyrocketing my career.
In school, you should use every opportunity to explore your strengths and your passion. Make self-reflection a daily habit. Review what happened in your day and how you react to it. This will help you discover your strength and passion and reveal the areas that you can improve. This habit will signifi cantly accelerate your personal growth.
【Encounters at WASEDA】The key element in bringing people together is to build and share the same goal
As a representative of WIF, the job of leading over a hundred members of diverse nationalities and values was tough. The differences in culture and nuances in communication sometimes led to confl icts. In such cases, I often mediate by advising the parties to revisit the goals and encourage them to reconcile for a better solution. WIF’s goal was not to put together good performances but to engage its members and audiences to deepen their interest and empathy for other cultures. I learned that building the goal together and collectively aiming for the same goal is essential in bringing people together.
- Researched eSports because of my love in IT
I conducted research on the “Development of Leadership through eSports” during my master’s and PhD years. I also presented at international conferences in Spain and Bangkok. My research is the utmost important foundation for my product manager career.
- Supported administration of the Summer Session
Waseda Summer Session attracts international students from overseas to experience university life in Japan. I contributed as a student administrative staff and guided the international students around Tokyo.
- Invaluable opportunities to guide government officials from Thailand
Thanks to my academic supervisor at graduate school, I had multiple opportunities to escort government of cials from Thailand who came to Japan to evaluate Japanese ICT policies. This experience deepens my interest in the IT industry.
【Current Job】Identifying customers’ problems and developing solutions make my job meaningful
I have worked on many well-known consumer apps such as FiNC, Pairs, and Amazon Shopping. I moved on from Amazon Japan and currently working as a Director of Product Management at Catalina Marketing Japan. The foreign company provides affiliate marketing services powered by its’ largest shopper history database in the world. My work is very challenging and rewarding because I get the chance to identify customers’ problems, develop solutions, and measure the effectiveness of my solutions. I think that seeing the impact of the solutions that I provide is the most appealing part of the product manager role.
Throughout my professional experience, I have been working with multinational team members. As a trilingual speaker, I am the bridge between Japanese and foreign talents who don’t understand the languages and, most importantly, the cultures. My club experiences have equipped me with the skills to cope with this multicultural environment.
※This article is reprinted from Future Design Guidebook 2020.
