aiESG Inc. is a Kyushu University startup established in 2022.

A society where happiness is linked and no wrinkles are left behind." With this vision, we provide our clients with optimal solutions to their various ESG assessment issues through the world's first comprehensive ESG analysis at the product and service level, based on our cutting-edge AI technology and solid research achievements.

In this article, we introduce Mr. Sakai, who is currently working in the Business Solution Department!

Ryosuke Sakai
Mr. Kato joined a major Japanese pharmaceutical company as a new graduate. After transferring from the domestic sales department to the sustainability department, she has been engaged in a wide range of work including company-wide promotion of human rights and environmental activities and compliance with international regulations. She is also active as an executive member of the Human Rights Education Subcommittee of the United Nations Global Compact Network Japan. She joined aiESG in December 2024 and is a member of the Business Solution Department.

Mr. Sakai has enjoyed traveling since he was a student and has been to about 40 countries. In the spring after graduating from high school, he went on a trip to Paris alone, relying only on "Bonjour" and "Merci," and that is when his backpacking life began! She told us that she could hardly communicate in English, which she had learned in high school entrance exams, and it was especially difficult in the countryside (^^).
By the way, the country he would like to visit again is Greece. The room he stayed in on Mykonos Island was a couple's room for some reason, and the surrounding restaurants were crowded with couples and families... Sakai, who traveled alone in the summer when he was 19, felt a little lonely... (laugh)
I want to take revenge with my family!" He said enthusiastically.

Sustainability World Arrived at Unexpected Career Destination

I studied French at university and was an exchange student in Belgium from the fall of my junior year to the summer of my senior year. Therefore, when I returned to Japan, many companies had finished their recruitment activities. I was able to find a job at a joint information session where international students gathered, and through a fortunate chance I was able to join a major pharmaceutical company as a new graduate.

A little backstory: While I was studying abroad, I met with a certain integrated factory automation manufacturer who was going to introduce me to their personnel, but when I returned to Japan, they were no longer hiring and I was not able to join that company. So my first career was a little different from what I had envisioned.
I was interviewed by various companies because I thought I had no skills and could only do sales. During my first interview at a pharmaceutical company, I asked, "What is an MR (Medical Representative ≒ Sales Representative)?" But they kindly told me, and the company was very open-minded.

After joining a pharmaceutical company, I devoted six months to studying for my national certification, and after obtaining it, I was assigned to Tokyo as an MR, running around university hospitals. Thankfully, I was able to visit several large hospitals in six years, including Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital and Keio University Hospital. After that, my desire to "challenge myself in other things" and "talk to various people in the company" grew, and I raised my hand to be transferred to the EHS department (the department that manages the environment and safety at the plant).

However, there was an unexpected dismantling of the department at the time of my transfer, and EHS was merged into the Sustainability Department, resulting in me taking on different duties than I had planned.

This combination of unforeseen events led me to enter the world of sustainability around 2020.

Starting from zero knowledge

After transferring to the Sustainability Department, the department head gave me the mission to create a business and human rights framework from scratch.

Since my background is not in sustainability or ESG, in order to acquire knowledge, I took the opportunity to study at the United Nations Global Compact Network Japan (GCNJ), in which my former company was a member, and was asked by the secretary at the time to also serve as the secretary of the Human Rights Subcommittee. I was invited by the secretary at the time to serve as the secretary of the Human Rights Subcommittee. I am still continuing this activity four years later. I also obtained the qualification of Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner accredited by CMI in the U.K. during my previous employment. Thanks to the guidance I received at that time, I am where I am today.

We plan to hold study sessions at aiESG in the future, and even I, who started with zero knowledge, was able to hold a study session, so it is not difficult to acquire knowledge if you have no background in sustainability or ESG as I do, as long as you are willing to learn.

Shifting the Axis to Sustainability

Looking back on my childhood, my grandmother always told me, "You have to do something for the world," whenever I returned home, and this mindset was naturally imprinted in my mind. I feel that one of the reasons I chose to work for a pharmaceutical company as a new graduate was because my grandmother's words remained strong in my mind.

While engaged in sustainability promotion at my previous job, I noticed that many companies were facing challenges in this area, and I began to wonder if there was anything I could do to help. At that time, I heard about Mr. Seki (Chief Executive Officer of aiESG) and strongly felt that aiESG could lead companies facing challenges in sustainability promotion to solutions and change society for the better.

Changing jobs to a startup that was not on my radar.

I first heard about aiESG through a recruitment agent, who introduced me to several other major consulting firms, but aiESG seemed the most interesting. I was particularly attracted by the unique personalities of the members of the firm. The board of directors includes Mr. Managi (President of aiESG and Senior Professor at Kyushu University) and other members in their 30s who have backgrounds in academia.

In my previous job, my customers were healthcare professionals with a background in academia, so it was easy for me to imagine what it would be like to work with them. I thought I could utilize my values in terms of connecting academia and business.

To be honest, I had not considered changing jobs to a start-up, but my agent advised me to design my career based on the image of filling in the gaps in my career, and I felt that gaining experience in building something from scratch at a start-up would be meaningful, I decided to join aiESG because I felt it was worthwhile to gain experience in building something from scratch at a startup.

Role in the department - being aware of sales activities.

In my current role, I am involved not only in sales activities, but also in building the sales organization and developing strategies. When I joined the company, the organization was not as well organized as it is now, so I was also responsible for creating target lists. Since this summer, I have also been involved in the development of new products.

In sales activities, which are my main task, I listen to the client with particular attention to "what kind of situation the client is in now." I ask in detail about the company's stance and goals on ESG, the composition of the department with respect to these goals, how much discretion the department has, and so on. Since I also have experience in sustainability promotion work, I listen carefully to the information on the premise and try to make proposals that are tailored to the customer's needs.

Attractiveness of aiESG - Image is between startups and large companies.

I feel that the appeal of aiESG is the high degree of freedom and fast decision-making, and the environment in which you can work while emphasizing work-life balance rather than "The Startup. In my mind, aiESG is somewhere between a startup and a major company. I feel that aiESG is a rare company that can bridge the gap between solving social issues and business in an academic way.

Also, since aiESG is a start-up from academia, we are able to experience working on a larger scale than a regular start-up company. We feel that we have many opportunities to meet people we would not normally have the chance to meet, such as government officials and investors.

On the other hand, a startup is an environment that is still nothing compared to a major company, for better or worse. We are still in the process of creating systems, processes, etc., from scratch, so I feel there is still room for growth.

A team of unique members with their own opinions

The current Business Solution Department has a friendly atmosphere where each individual's personality shines through. We are a team where everyone has his or her own opinions and ideas and can express them without hesitation.

Those with a background in proposal sales or sustainability are of course welcome, but most of all, since this is a startup and a fully remote workplace, we would be happy to have someone who can think about their own goals and work autonomously. This is not a good fit for someone who has clear instructions and expects you to follow them. We strive every day to transmit our words and actions at a high level.

As I mentioned earlier, we are in the process of gaining experience in building a startup from scratch. In fact, I have been involved in organization building, strategic planning, and product development. Several times, customers have told me that they like the fact that we can take on various challenges. There is a wealth of academic research, and there are many wonderful seeds of technology. Now we just need to find a way to connect it to our business.

If you are enthusiastic about taking on new challenges, we would be happy to have you join aiESG.

I asked the manager! What kind of person is Mr. Sakai?

Mr. Mukai, Manager, Business Solution Dept.

If I had to describe Mr. Sakai in one word, it would be "someone who can handle anything even if it is reckless! I was wary (laugh) that he would be able to run on his own even with a weak structure, since he had just moved from a major company, but I soon found out that my fears were unfounded.
When I became aware of this, I was asked to do much of the work to create a system, and in business negotiations, my knowledge of the industry and experience working on the corporate side enabled me to conduct high-resolution negotiations as a company.

Interviews and employment opportunities are also available on Wantedly.
https://www.wantedly.com/companies/company_9232529/post_articles/994154