the President
Why did the founders creat FMI? Where is FMI heading to ? Discover FMI’s mission, working philosophy and ideal candidate profile from the message of FMI’s founding President.
President and Executive Officer SHOICHIRO ONISHI
After registering as an attorney with the Tokyo Bar Association in 1992, Shoichiro Onishi joined the law offices of Okuno & Partners and was appointed as a partner in 1997. In 2003 he joined the Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan (IRCJ), where he served as Managing Director. Shoichiro founded Frontier Management Inc. in 2007, as Representative Director & President. He was appointed as an outside director of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. in 2020 and a Representative Director & President of Frontier Capital Inc. when it was founded in 2022. In September 2022 Shoichiro was appointed as Representative Director, CEO & COO of Frontier Capital Inc.
The origin of FMI is the problem that I became aware of when I was with IRCJ. Until that time, I had been working as an attorney with expertise in the field of business restructuring including bankruptcy handling. At IRCJ I began to realize that business restructuring is not just bankruptcy procedures but turnaround has to be completed. I often thought that there was no company where a wide range of specialists gather to resolve issues for corporate clients. So, I had to create one myself. Such company was unprecedented and it was very difficult task, but I was not afraid of taking a risk and I believe that helped me. When I founded FMI in 2007, the first thing I did was to have thorough discussions about the corporate philosophy, which is contribution to the interests of clients, contribution to the interests of stakeholders, and contribution to society. Contributing to the interests of clients is a common sense for a professional firm, but that alone cannot be enough as a corporate philosophy. We have to be contributing to interests of stakeholders such as clients’ employees, business partners, their families and society. And, our services should support growth of our corporate client, by which we serve to contribute to society. None of these three must be missing. It's not easy to always remind ourselves of our philosophy, but the reason we've been listed on the stock market a little over ten years since our founding and still continue to grow is because we never diverted from our philosophy.
FMI began grads hiring in 2016. We were lucky to have hired talented people, and it took only three to four years for the most talented people to become project managers. These managers were tasked in their 20s with assignments that are normally given in their 30s at other firms. I think our system has enabled them to grow fast. A major feature of FMI is that we handle a wide range of domestic and international projects, from small to large. In your first year as a new graduate, you work on a project together with our senior members, and even if the project is small, you can get involved in the work in a manner to understand the entire client company, and you can see what the work your doing is for the client. We aren’t cogs in a machine but we are all human beings, and we are always mindful of our members’ growth. That's why I want them to gain more experience from their youngest days with FMI. If you are a motivated person, you will find yourself growing at FMI without even realizing it. There’s no limit to how fast people can grow. For experienced hires, we look for strong-willed people with an edge. Even if they have changed jobs several times, we view them positively if they can logically explain their reasons for changing jobs. FMI is a mass of diversity. FMI is more suitable for people who want to work with people with expertise that is completely different from their own, rather than for people who feel comfortable doing the same thing over and over again every day. In short, we want to work with people who are willing to take on challenges, whether they are young or experienced. I want our people to grow through their work for themselves, rather than for the sake of the company. Join us and become the professional you know you can be.