The latest FocusCore Salary Guide is here: 2025 Salary Guide

On this episode of the FocusCore podcast we are joined by global leadership expert Paul Dupuis. Paul has over 25 years of professional experience in multiple countries across Asia including Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and India. He is also the founder and CEO of Take-5 Global K.K., a consultancy firm focused on coaching, business advisory, leadership development and M&A in Japan and India. Paul joins us to share some of his insights into being a great leader in Japan and globally, as well as how to grow and develop successful leaders in your company.

In this episode you will hear:

• What foreign companies admire about Japanese business culture
• Universal tenets of good leadership
• How to succeed as a business leader in Japan
• The importance of listening more than you speak
• How trust helps empower and enable people to be great leaders
• Paul’s 5 E’s of leadership from his book; The E5 Movement

Things mentioned in the episode:

Paul’s book; The E5 Movement: https://e5-movement.com/

The Japanese version; The 5 Golden Rules of Leadership:

https://e5-movement.com/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E

Hockey Foundation Website: https://hockeyfoundation.org/

About Paul Dupuis:

Paul Dupuis is the founder and CEO of Take-5 Global K.K., a consultancy firm focused on coaching, business advisory, leadership development and M&A in Japan and India.

Paul has over 25 years of professional experience in multiple countries across Asia including Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and India. Prior to founding Take-5 Global K.K., Paul was CEO & Chairman of Randstad Japan (2021-2023) where he led one of the largest operating companies for Randstad globally to achieve exceptional revenue growth and record profitability. During his tenure as MD and CEO of Randstad India (2017-2021), he led the turnaround of the company to become the leader in the Indian market. Paul was recognized by Great Place to Work® Institute (India) as one of India’s Best Leaders in Times of Crisis 2021. From 2011-2013 he was based in Singapore as Head of Asia for en-japan (TSE 4849.t).

A recognized thought leader, Paul frequently appears in media, and is a guest speaker at MBA schools and professional associations across Asia on topics related to Japan & India, with a focus on transformational leadership, high performance, team building, strategy and organizational development. He is a member of the MBA Faculty at GLOBIS University Graduate School. He is a non-executive Board Member of T.Hasegawa, a publicly listed company (TSE 4958). Paul is a member of the Board of Directors of HOPE International Sustainable Development Agency (JP), focusing on clean water projects and microcredit programs in Cambodia, Sudan and the Philippines, with a mission to help the neglected poor become self-reliant.

Paul is fully bilingual in English and Japanese. He published his first book on leadership, The E5 Movement in June 2020. In 2023, the best-selling Japanese version was published: The 5 Golden Rules of Leadership.

Paul is an active member of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), and is the Vice-chairman of the marketing committee of the Japan Ice Hockey Federation. He is a passionate ice hockey...

The latest FocusCore Salary Guide is here:2025 Salary Guide

This week on the FocusCore podcast, host David Sweet is joined by Simon Jelfs, Managing Director of FocusCore Japan. In the episode David and Simon discuss the biggest talent trends that will impact Japan’s recruitment landscape in 2025. These trends include things like new technologies and work structures impacting business in general, as well as the future of HR and recruitment specifically. This conversation is essential listening for companies looking to adapt and be competitive in Japan’s ever evolving market in the new year!

In this episode you will hear:

• The real challenges and opportunities of AI in recruitment
• Why cybersecurity, data analytics, and adaptability are more essential than ever
• How HR is driving growth through upskilling, reskilling, and strategic planning
• The importance of a strong Employee Value Proposition when attracting talent
• The future of flexible work models in Japan

About Simon Jelfs:

​Simon is from the UK and has over 20 years accounting and finance recruitment experience in Tokyo. He is the Managing Director of Focus Core which focuses on providing executive search in Japan.

Connect with Simon Jelfs:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonjelfs/

Connect with David Sweet:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejp

Facebook: :https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focuscorejp/

Website: https://www.japan.focuscoregroup.com/

“Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher Davis-Shannon. To find out more, check out www.thetinman.co. Support independent musicians and artists.

Mentioned in this episode:

Find out more about salaries, the job market, hiring and what's important to both companies and individuals looking for a job specifically in Japan.

2025 Salary Guide

The latest Focus Core Salary Guide is here: 2025 Salary Guide

Welcome to the latest episode of the FocusCore podcast. In this episode we are talking about the field of Genomics and how the applied genomics technology company, Illumina is pushing the boundaries of genomic biotechnology for research and in applied medicine. Our guest is General Manager and Representative Director of Illumina KK, Arjuna Kumarasuriyar. Arjuna has commercial experience in sales, marketing, channel management and commercial operations, as well as an academic background in biotechnology and molecular biology. In the episode we dive deep into what genomics is and how it is evolving, as well as hearing some of Arjuna’s insights into Japan’s unique business landscape.

In this episode you will hear:

• What the term genomics means and how it differs from genetics
• What made Arjuna change his study from medicine to biotechnology
• About Illumina’s work in biotechnology
• How the technology Illumina is developing is fundamentally changing healthcare around the world
• What Arjuna has learnt about doing business in Japan
• How AI technology might impact genomics

About Arjuna Kumarasuriyar:

Arjuna Kumarasuriyar has Commercial experience in sales, marketing, channel management and Commercial Operations in the life sciences sector. The majority of Arjuna’s career has been in genomics with Illumina covering business across the Asia Pacific region. The first eight years of his career at Illumina were in sales, marketing and sales management roles. The next eight years he established and grew a commercial operations function to support the rapidly expanding commercial team in Asia through analytics, processes, technology, training and back office functions.

Arjuna has been General Manager and Representative Director of Illumina KK since January 2023. He is passionate about finding ways for teams to perform at their best whether it is shaping organizational structures and culture or getting into the operational enablement to enable efficient and effective customer value creation.

Arjuna has a Bachelors in Biotechnology and a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Queensland, Australia. He joined Illumina in 2007 after working in R&D, quality assurance, and technology transfer roles for several biotech companies and government agencies in Singapore and Australia.

Connect with Arjuna Kumarasuriyar:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjunakumarasuriyar/

X: https://x.com/ArjunaK

Connect with David Sweet:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejp

Facebook: :https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focuscorejp/

Website: https://www.japan.focuscoregroup.com/

“Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher Davis-Shannon. To find out more, check out www.thetinman.co. Support independent musicians and...