Date of publication: Oct 28, 2019
Evan Burkosky
- Country Manager, Japan
- Dynamic Yield https://www.dynamicyield.com/
Date of birth: July 24, 1979
Hometown: Vancouver, Canada
Number of years in Japan (cumulative): 16 (as of October 2019)
Q1: What was your first encounter with Japan?
Growing up on Vancouver Island I worked summers on my father’s commercial fish boat. We sold most of our catch to Japan and the strength of the yen determined a good season or bad. After graduation, one of my first business ventures was to move to Japan to try to create a more direct import route and market Canadian seafood, which eventually lead to a career in digital marketing.
Q2: Please state your motto in life and why you have chosen it.
Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.” I love this quote because it so succinctly emphasizes how much attitude determines success or failure. Add to a positive attitude focus and grit — the ability to see difficult tasks to completion — and you have the recipe for success.
Q3 : Over your career, what achievement are you the proudest of?
Starting and operating several businesses over the course of my career in Japan, through that process learning the language and culture, then using those skills to help global companies enter the Japanese market and mentor early stage startups. Japan can be a difficult place to start a new business for natives, even more so for foreigners, but it is possible and can be very rewarding.
Q4 : What are your goals during your time in Japan, your current position or in life?
To help Japan improve service sector productivity with artificial intelligence-driven personalization. Dynamic Yield is the leading “AI-powered Personalization Anywhere” platform, and as country manager I am proud to bring this technology to the Japanese market where artificial intelligence is essential in increasing productivity in the face of a declining population. With Dynamic Yield, our customers are able to bring Japan’s internationally renowned omotenashi customer service online, improving the digital customer experience.
Q5 : What wisdom, advice or tips can you give to people living and working in Japan?
As a foreigner working in Japan, I highly encourage you to find a position where you are perceived by society at large as helping to solve a clear problem. Both your career and social life will be more rewarding if you do so. With the declining population, Japan faces serious issues that other developed nations will also face eventually, so (it) is the proving ground for fields like automation and machine learning.
Last updated: Oct 28, 2019