Date of publication: Feb 25, 2019

Benjamin Cordier

Director, IT & Contract Division: RGF Professional Recruitment

Date of birth: May 23, 1979

Hometown: Lancashire, U.K.

Number of years in Japan (cumulative): 16 (as of February 2019)

Q1: What was your first encounter with Japan?

My first experience with Japan was through food, swallowing a sachet of wasabi whole on a JAL flight thinking it was a mint. This was on my first flight to Japan at the start of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme. The welcome dinner upon arrival in Numazu was at a sushi restaurant, so I was ready.

Q2: Please state your motto in life and why you have chosen it.

My motto is not a phrase, but a prose poem. I read “Desiderata” by Max Ehrmann regularly — it has always really resonated with me and I encourage my teams to read it. It is posted on the wall in our office.

Q3 : Over your career, what achievement are you the proudest of?

Being part of a successful startup (Pathways) from day one, helping to build the business to over 100 employees in the Asia-Pacific region and now establishing a new division at RGF from the ground up are some of my biggest achievements so far.

Q4 : What are your goals during your time in Japan, your current position or in life?

Regarding my career, my goal is pretty clear; I would like to help RGF Professional Recruitment become the No. 1 bilingual recruitment company in Tokyo. On a personal note, I would like to run a sub-4-hour marathon.

Q5 : What wisdom, advice or tips can you give to people living and working in Japan?

Simple — treat people as you expect to be treated. There will always be frustrations working as a foreigner in any country, but the positives outweigh the negatives. Focus on the positives. Tokyo is a great place to work with lots of opportunities; anything is possible with the right mindset and discipline. Listen to people, smile and don’t take yourself too seriously.

Last updated: Feb 25, 2019