The Shikoku Electric Power Company has been involved in three phases of the projects: bidding, construction, and operation. For the bidding phase, the consortium including us drafted detailed and elaborated proposal. The crux of the bid was how to propose reasonable electricity tariff without sacrificing our profitability. To this end, we, as an electric power professional, carried out technical verifications and optimization of the equipment to be installed, the plant operation and maintenance plan, and many other details to ensure both stable power supply and cost-saving. We worked on the bid materials right up to the wire and only completed them at 3 a.m. on the day of the deadline. It was all the more gratifying when the contract was awarded to us because we had put every effort into the bid.
The construction of the power plants went relatively well compared to plants of the same type. Nevertheless, as with any construction project of this scale, various problems cropped up. When more serious challenges occurred, we solicited advice from experts at our thermal power plants in Shikoku and provided feedback on solutions through the Board of Directors’ meetings of the project company and at other opportunities. Even now in the operation phase, we continue to provide various advice on prompt solutions when plant malfunctions or signs of malfunctions occur.

Oman, which underwent rapid expansion, faces a unique challenge. The country used to accept a large number of foreign workers to shore up its local workforce. Because of this policy however, foreign workers now account for about half of the total population, causing employment problems for Omani citizens. The government today is promoting an “Omanisation” programme to replace expatriate workers with Omani personnel. It was into these circumstances that I was seconded to Oman from 2014, a year after the project entered the operation phase, to 2018 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company operating the Sohar 2 project (Al Batinah Power Company). I was involved in company operations from a management standpoint. One of the issues I had to deal with was to increase the number of Omani employees in line with government guidelines. Therefore, in addition to recruiting talented people, we provided support to these hires, such as skills development through proactive OJT, seminars and assistance for taking university night courses, following the training plan we established. As a result of these efforts, we successfully increased the number Omani employees from six to eleven of 17 employees. Because of my long association with these employees, when my assignment ended and I was returning to Japan, I received many thank-yous from them along with souvenirs and a letter signed by everyone. My greatest satisfaction is having been able to empower young Omanis.

As CFO, I led an extensive range of corporate operations. Alongside the obvious tasks of financial, accounting, and taxation management, they involved enhancing corporate governance including establishing various internal policies, operations of the Board of Directors and the general meeting of shareholders, and human resource management. This was my first experience working overseas, but it turned out to be the perfect opportunity for my professional growth. I hope I was able to perform work that contributed to local development while engaging with the local people, which was a huge source of motivation although I was in an unfamiliar environment. Nevertheless, I had never even imagined I would be seconded as a CFO to an overseas company. Even though I was the sole Japanese person in the company, I believe I fulfilled my duties satisfactorily and helped expand the company’s earnings through the project’s success. Reflecting on this experience, I get a tangible sense that working at Shikoku Electric Power Company developed. without realizing it. capabilities that translate at the management level overseas.