Date of publication: Sep 02, 2019
William Kawabata Hall
- Managing Director / Co-Founder
- Evander Group K.K. http://www.evander-group.com
Date of birth: Oct. 20, 1977
Hometown: Tokyo
Number of years in Japan (cumulative): 35 (as of September 2019)
Q1: What was your first encounter with Japan?
I was born and raised in Tokyo. My father is Australian and my mother is Japanese; I attended the American School in Japan from preschool until graduating high school. I was lucky to be raised in a multicultural and bilingual environment, speaking both English and Japanese on a daily basis at home and at school.
Q2: Please state your motto in life and why you have chosen it.
My motto and belief in life is that “Happiness is a choice, and not a result. Nothing will make you happy, until you choose to be happy.” Life throws various curveballs and tries to knock you down, and it actually will at times. However, no matter what happens today — tomorrow is a new day and I believe it is up to you to make it a great day.
Q3 : Over your career, what achievement are you the proudest of?
Starting and co-founding Evander Group in 2016, with my business partner, investor and colleagues that I love — it is the greatest achievement that I am proud of. One important thing to note is that it was not an individual achievement by all means; it was truly a team effort to get to where we are today — which in our minds, we are just getting started.
Q4 : What are your goals during your time in Japan, your current position or in life?
My business goal is to drive and grow Evander Group, help provide strategic executive recruitment solutions to global firms here in Japan and to support people in finding their dream career. My personal goal is to continue to learn something new every day from the people I meet and hopefully share some of my insight with others at the same time.
Q5 : What wisdom, advice or tips can you give to people living and working in Japan?
Japan is globally the fastest declining population and we need people to share their thoughts and experiences from all over the world; therefore, I welcome more people to come and live in Japan. One piece of advice is to do your best to learn the Japanese language (and continue to learn) — that will be instrumental in your success to build both personal and business relationships here.
Last updated: Sep 02, 2019