A decade with Mizuho and a ringside view of Indo-Japan economic relations

A decade is a long yet blip of a time. A personal journey of the decade and more.. Today it's all about feeling of gratitude..To the people and more importantly to the challenges, without them I would be nothing....

今朝綺麗な富士山が見えました。とてもいい縁起と思います。

It was a clear sky of winter morning... I walked up to Otemachi Park building as my first day at Mizuho Bank a decade back. Making a career change in the middle age is always challenging.

There I was, entering the building ahead of time and trying to make a new beginning. I was keeping my anxieties under control and telling myself, even though there are credentials under my belt, this is a new start and I should keep my self empty. Self assurance notwithstanding, I was in half excited half anxious state of mode.

As a routine, reached ahead of time to the office building. Thinking about all the new colleagues that would be waiting in the room. Once again I checked my attire. I had rehearsed a few line of introducing my self and was running through them. Nothing much, just short and relevant.

At the right time, I neatly folded my winter coat on right hand, and got into elevator, while checking time on my wrist watch and building wall clock. It was barely few seconds in elevators but felt like eternity as in that confined solitary space, I was musing on.

Its happening, Its real I kept on saying myself. The reason why I am joining Mizuho? How will I be able to contribute and how will I also grow in this large organization with new colleagues; the thoughts tossed at fast pace. As the elevator stopped with a ting, I steeped out. The large corridor was empty. I had to take left and then move to far right.

But instinctively I looked out of the large corridor window on right and saw a stunning view of the Mount Fuji. The mesmerising view of breathtaking Fuji piercing the sky with magnanimous snow clad top was simply captivating. I stood there still. As if my legs were locked and eyes were gazed to the view. Kirei (Beautiful in Japanese) was the word that came out of my mouth involuntarily. There was no there to hear me. I stood on, immersing myself in the moment and forgot where I was or why I was.

Another ting sound of elevator teleported me to the reality and I paced myself to the destination. The new team members were waiting for me as I greeted Kaneko GM and was shown my place. With little bowing around and exchanging smile, I nervously moved to my seat, checking drawers but more importantly making myself comfortable. The reckoning time had arrived. I was introduced by GM to the team and asked to say a few words.

I started my speech mechanically without emotions. Words came out as I had rehearsed and I completed it without any discomfort of new surrounding at slow pace, looking into eyes of my team mates and nodding appropriately.

But just after I completed the speech, I took a pause and said the line above.

今朝綺麗な富士山が見えました。とてもいい縁起と思います。

(Today in the morning I saw a stunning Mount Fuji view from the corridor, I feel its a great omen and could not have asked for a better start. Thank you very much).

The words were not part of my original speech but the moment in which I experienced watching Fuji, the worries melted and so did the expectations and I felt strange power. I just said this with emotions to even my surprise. There was smile on everyone face and still when I meet my great colleagues, I am reminded of the Fuji line without fail.

A decade on:

Ten years on, it still feels like yesterday. Surrounded by wonderful colleagues, great coworkers, mentors and junior colleagues from across the Asia, I could not have asked for a better decade. Expansion of business from two cities to Five. Signing MoU with six Leading states of India for Investment promotion cooperation. Helping hundreds of clients in their India investment decisions. Catalysing a unique infra project in Chennai. Assisting the biggest investment in Gujarat to open flood gates for many more. Helping many Japanese government projects with various state governments to bring Indo-Japan economic cooperation much deeper. Working closely with top educational institutes to get academic perspective. To be part of delegations led by respective Chief ministers or Chief Secretaries to Japan...the list goes on..

I also saw India as star of the BRICs world fall to Fragile Five and again rise recently as fastest growing economy globally.

Importantly I also saw, how 550 companies and 838 establishments multifolded to 1441 and 5102 respectively. Had a ringside view of how they innovated and how their market pivoted from India to the world.

The positive challenges that came on the way and how as a team from India, Singapore and Tokyo worked seamlessly for a common goal.. To make "Mizuho the Bankable partner in India"...

Honestly, none of this I had even dreamed of when I was in that elevator in the morning of 26-January-2009.

Probably it was a great omen. But as they say, "Coming Events Caste their Shadows." I feel it was positive start indicating the company of the great colleagues, that would help ride every challenge with positive energy and focus.

As the last week I travelled across India presenting Gujarat to Japanese Investors in Japanese, I donned tie wore by my father. It was he who wanted me to walk this path....

I feel immensely lucky and gratified that almighty gave me opportunity to repay his debt.. still a long way to go as 1441 companies from Japan is far from the real Indo Japan potential..But I do look forward to an ever more exciting second half with positive resolve to building on a solid foundation and exciting next decade...

Jack Ma wisely said, "There are many experts on YESTERDAY" But no one has clue on Tomorrow.. probably the key lies in being "Nimble feet", "Ears on the Ground", "Learning to Unlearn" and "Burying the Bias"....

Let the next decade begin....let the process of unlearning to learning continue....But today gratitude is the only word on lips...