Randstad RiseSmart drives continued growth in Japan by appointing career transition industry experts to leadership team

SYDNEY, Aug. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Randstad RiseSmart, leading global outplacement and career mobility provider, today announced the appointment of Kazunori Yamamoto as country director and Paula Sugawara as director of practice in Japan.

Kazunori Yamamoto

"As one of the top five markets for career management in the world, we're seeing strong demand for our career development, redeployment and outplacement solutions in Japan," said Dan Davenport, CEO of Randstad RiseSmart. "Our new leadership additions not only reflect our commitment to this important market, but to our customers who will undoubtedly benefit from their deep local knowledge and experience."

RiseSmart has delivered coaching programs for outplacement, redeployment and career development in Japan for several years, facilitated by local, experienced career coaches and resume writers. The appointment of Yamamoto as the country director is an important milestone for RiseSmart's Asia Pacific (APAC) expansion, as it provides local leadership from an industry expert. Sugawara's appointment as practice director enables RiseSmart customers and their employees to benefit from her significant career transition and coaching experience in Japan.

Yamamoto has international experience in career mobility, staffing and recruitment, and has held leadership positions in the U.S., Shanghai and Tokyo, including as managing director for Right Management in Japan. He will focus on building relationships with locally-based organizations and developing the RiseSmart brand experience in Japan. He leads a team of experienced coaches and resume writers with expertise in career development. transition, executive coaching and women in leadership.

Sugawara has extensive knowledge of the region's talent mobility market, as she has lived in Japan for over 30 years, served as country lead for Lee Hecht Harrison, established her own consulting business, Tokyo Consulting Services, and previously worked as an investment analyst. Paula has firsthand experience overcoming C-Suite executive challenges, as she spent eight years in senior management. She is a qualified executive coach with the Coaches Training Institute in Tokyo and the International Coach Academy. Paula is bilingual and the author of the book 'The 5Cs of Successful Women,' published in October 2020.

"Both Kazunori and Paula have unique insights into the Japanese career mobility market, having worked with other top providers previously," said Alison Hernandez, managing director for Randstad RiseSmart APAC. "With RiseSmart's integrated platform, proprietary technology and highly experienced coaches, we know we can support Japanese workers and enable them to find their next role quicker than anyone, as well as support their growth and development through upskilling with their current employer. With Tokyo serving as the host city for the 2020 Olympic Games, we are inspired by the Olympic motto of 'faster, higher, stronger, together' as it also reflects Randstad RiseSmart's unique approach to talent mobility."

The addition of Yamamoto and Sugawara reinforce RiseSmart's commitment to supporting customers and their employees across APAC following other recent strategic leadership appointments in the region, including Sandy Wong as director for Greater China and Tim Neuhaus as director for Southeast Asia. Wong is responsible for continued growth in China Mainland, China Hong Kong SAR and China Taiwan, and oversees the coaching team and service delivery in the region. Neuhaus is based in Singapore, with local oversight for services in Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea and Japan.

About Randstad RiseSmart

Randstad RiseSmart is the fastest-growing outplacement and career mobility provider, and an operating company of Randstad N.V., a global provider of flexible work and human resources services that helps nearly two million candidates find meaningful work every year. Our outplacement, career development, redeployment and contemporary tech and touch solutions strengthen employer brands, improve retention and re-engage talent. Employers hire us because we deliver superior outcomes through expert coaching, professional branding, contemporary resources and on-demand analytics. Today, we are a trusted partner of successful companies in more than 40 industries and deliver services in more than 100 countries and 40 languages. Our passion and dedication to innovation, responsiveness, and results have earned us extensive recognition and awards from organizations such as Bersin by Deloitte, Gartner Inc., the Brandon Hall Group and Fortune magazine.

For more information, please visit https://www.randstadrisesmart.com

Japan – https://www.risesmart.randstad.co.jp

Paula Sugawara