35: Malik Roumane, President & CEO, Edenred Japan

Born and educated in France, Malik Roumane details his journey to Japan, revisiting his experiences at Saint-Gobain, Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Carrera y Carrera, Classic Fine Foods, and now Edenred, where Mr. Roumane is the company President and CEO.

Mr. Roumane shares valuable insight in leading in Japan through patience, persistence and an open attitude. In order to enhance communication with his staff, Mr. Roumane actively participates in social events and has breakfast or online meetings with small groups to share about his life outside of work to create a more personal bond. By doing so, he believes his employees will in turn open up as well and be more trusting. He explains: “[In Japan] it takes more time for people to listen to you and to believe in your ideas…but when they [do believe it], they go for it. And they are extremely precise, they want to do things perfectly.”

Additionally, to increase employee engagement, Mr. Roumane encourages his team to take online classes, practice speaking English and take full advantage of digital tools. Mr. Roumane claims: “In order for people to develop, they need to be exposed to the outside world. And the outside world is education training seminars, talking to people, getting inspired.” Mr. Roumane leads by example and constantly pushes himself to be exposed to new ideas, which he believes has helped him manage business in Japan.

Based off his own experiences, Mr. Roumane gives fantastic advice for any foreigner who is looking to successfully lead in Japan. He emphasizes the importance of opening up and sharing one’s personal side to establish a more trusting bond, but advises to maintain a good balance and not overpromise in order to run a profitable business. Mr. Roumane adds the value of patience and persistency to win trust. He explains: “if you're persistent, people around you will say, “wow, this is somebody we can trust because this person has a view, has a vision, and he builds on this vision.”