Breaking New Grounds in Treasury with Technology and Teamwork

Managing funds worldwide from London, the global centre of finance.

I am currently working at Recruit Global Treasury Services (RGTS), a corporate treasury centre in London, as a team leader engaged in overseas cash management for the group. Recruit Group is operating diverse businesses globally, including the HR Technology business, which is led by Indeed and Glassdoor, the Matching & Solutions business, centred on Recruit Co., Ltd., which is our Tokyo head office; and the Staffing business based in the Netherlands with group companies based in various countries in Europe, US, and APAC. RGTS consolidates and manages overseas funds for the entire group through the Treasury Management System (TMS). This shared group platform supports business activities by realising appropriate and smooth financial transactions within and outside the group.

The time difference is the crucial reason for having a corporate treasury centre in London. We communicate daily with the finance teams of each business and our partner financial institutions located in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific. If you are in London, you can communicate and troubleshoot in real-time with Tokyo in the morning, Europe at midday, and the US in the evening. Updating the platform to which group companies connect and collaborate with each business has been increasingly crucial for effective governance. Close communication with the people in charge of each site is indispensable.

Secondly, London remains at the centre of global finance even after Brexit. The city outshines other international financial centres using fintech and best practices. Workshops, conferences and other events are held frequently, allowing me to interact directly with financial experts and share the knowledge I gain to affect change across the business, establishing a finance team of the highest global standard.

With current hot topics being Smart Treasury and ESG, working in London is also an excellent opportunity for me personally. Many people worldwide who seek to acquire the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification (ACCA) gather and study here. I would very much like to gain this qualification while I am posted here. Continued learning is essential to work face-to-face with specialists and to deliver high-quality performance. I am genuinely grateful that my superiors and the Company have given me this vital opportunity.

Taking on the challenge of “Smart Treasury” that is suitable for the coming era.

I am currently managing a total of more than $5 billion with several currencies. With globalisation of business accelerating, the number of cross-border transactions within the group is surging, and the scale and frequency of fund movement is also rising. I feel it is essential to understand Smart Treasury and leverage technology to improve the efficiency of increasingly complex operations, reduce workload, and determine smooth, well-controlled, and error-free processes.

For example, the HR Technology business offers services worldwide. Last year, it introduced a new equity compensation system for all employees that gives an option to receive shares in Recruit Holdings, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. With the scheme’s introduction, many transactions began frequently occurring between Japan, where the shares are issued, Ireland, where some of the funds for the HR Technology business are managed, and the countries where the employees are located. I joined the task force with the system development team of the HR Technology SBU to progress seamless collaboration between TMS and the accounting system of the business to achieve stable and efficient transactions while maintaining the highest standard of compliance.

This is just a tiny part of the efforts to take advantage of the benefits of Smart Treasury. I believe that we can upgrade our work dramatically by driving forward automation of routine operations utilising RPA and API and deepening our strategic thinking through sophisticated analysis of big data and BI that leverages AI and machine learning. In the future, our work will dramatically change with the utilisation of new technology such as blockchain, instant settlement system, and cryptocurrency. I am all for pioneering the new era by being the first in adopting cutting-edge technology. Without limiting it to the finance field, it would be fantastic to realise a world where we can offer management valuable information to various stakeholders “Faster, simpler, and closer to you” by integrating the multiple management systems in the company.

An appealing corporate culture that values “BET ON PASSION”.

I was born in Japan but moved back to South Korea when I was six. I joined the United States Armed Forces in Korea during my college and subsequently began working in a bank. After a few years, I started thinking of expanding my global horizons; my eyes fell on Recruit Holdings, which actively promotes the globalisation of its business while deeply valuing “BET ON PASSION”. At Recruit Holdings, I could leverage my involvement working in diverse cultures having previous experience working in South Korean, American, and Chinese organisations and growing together with the company by taking on the challenge of building a top-level financial organisation on a global scale.

Just after joining the Company, I was pleasantly surprised by how open the working environment was; a room for executives was repurposed into a meeting room for everyone to use—proving to me that the company had an open-minded corporate culture. I was also impressed by how it pursued efficiency in operation and communication by proactively introducing new technology. More than anything, the fact that the company warm-heartedly entrusted me, who did not study or have any experience of working in Japan, with the critical operation of fund management highlights the appeal of Recruit Holdings’ corporate culture that attaches importance to diversity and invests in the passion of each individual. The manner in which the company proceeds with work, where inspiration is drawn from the ideas of employees in the field, instead of a top-down approach, was just right for me, for whom motivation is more important than anything else.

If you want to achieve a dream that is a lot bigger than anything you’ve done so far, please consider applying to Recruit Holdings. The Company will recognise if you have passion. Let’s create a cutting-edge finance team and innovate together.