Previously, I worked for a major commercial bank and filled two positions, one in market operations and the other in quantitative research. As I was more interested in quantitative research, I decided to join Mizuho-DL Financial Technology, a financial technology specialist company, in search of an environment where I could concentrate in research and development.
My main responsibilities are to model and to price highly marketable financial products such as equity, foreign exchange, interest rates and credit, as well as to develop hedging methods and to analyze trade strategies mathematically. In my line of work, I am expected not only to study earlier works but also to give full play to my own originality and creativity, and to develop new and unique financial technologies.
What I find attractive about this company is the fact that it offers an ideal environment to conduct research and development on financial technology. For example, there are projects underway in collaboration with university professors who are also technical advisors to our company. The company has consistently sent its staffs to international financial conferences held in the US and Europe, and it continues to hire more employees who hold a PhD in mathematics or science. I believe the company has one of the best research environments that a Japanese research institute, affiliated with a financial institution, has to offer.
I was an engineer at an electrical manufacturer, and had been designing hardware for electronic devices. I came upon the field called financial engineering quite by chance, but as I came to know that it was an attractive discipline which allowed me to put my mathematical skills and ability to full use, I became more interested in it and decided to apply for a position in this company. I was interested in its consulting services to outside customers. When I had the interview with the president at the time, I was so moved by his passion about the Japanese financial industry that I decided to join right then.
My main responsibility is to provide consultation to financial institutions outside the Mizuho Financial Group, and I have also been engaged in the area of risk management on a constant basis. Output quality is closely scrutinized and deadlines must be strictly followed, however the way to handle work is mostly left to the discretion of the individual in charge. There are often several projects going on simultaneously, so there are times when business is quite intense, but in general I can work at my own pace.
This applies to every kind of job, but the outcome of consultation depends on how well you served your customers. The financial world changes rapidly and customers' needs vary. This is why I think it is so important to continually learn how to keep serving the needs of customers. I feel very fortunate to be in such an exciting and intelligent work environment, joined by many talented colleagues.
When I receive words of praise from customers for my consultation, it makes me happy to know that I have served them well, and makes me hope I can continue to do the same.
My previous employer was a consulting company. I mainly worked on financial mathematics and data mining for financial institutions. In looking for a new career, I did not limit myself to any particular area but looked at many opportunities with various finance-related companies. The most important thing for me was to find a position that would enhance my financial knowledge and skill.
If I were to sum it up in one sentence, I was attracted by the high quality and the staff. I was very impressed by friendly interviewers. As I felt that working with them would be a stimulating experience and definite plus for my career, I decided to join.
Since I joined the company, I have been impressed with the professionalism in carrying out tasks, the teamwork among colleagues while competing with each other, and, above all, the aspiration to become the world's number one in all areas of finance. I have been attracted by this "unparalleled commitment to becoming number one" more than anything else.
I belong to the Financial Technology Dept. No.2 and am in charge of research and development of credit risk assessment methods incorporating cutting-edge financial technology.
What is most important is the fact that the job isn't done by just one person. It is a truly wonderful moment when a goal has been achieved as a team while respecting one another's viewpoints and making full use of experience and knowledge in individual fields of specialty.
I really like the team I am with now. My colleagues are quite exceptional and unique individuals and, as one might expect, working with them on a daily basis has really proved to be quite motivating. I am truly glad that I moved to this company. I would like to express my welcome and extend invitation to those seeking an opportunity to enter a stimulating world of finance such as this.
System Engineer at Mizuho-DL Financial Technology Co., Ltd.
I am a system engineer for the company. Because of the similarity in name, we are often mistaken with a system integrator, but this company provides development of financial technology. Less than 10% of the workforce are system engineers. There are many opportunities for producing deliverables in a form of system and there is a lot of development work. We are expected, as system development professionals, to support the financial engineers, and enhance the system further.
One example of the tasks I am responsible for is to brush up the pricing program that uses a method newly developed by financial engineers, incorporate it into the option transaction management system and complete the overall system. Since customer expectations for the developed system are high, pressure as well as the spirit of challenge is part of our daily work.
The reason why I chose this company was because I had an opportunity to work for it while I was still at my previous company, and was interested in joining it.
What I find attractive about the company is the fact that it allows me to participate in the development project of a leading-edge system, as a core member, over a wide range of steps (upstream to downstream steps, project management and customer responses, in other words, everything). I also liked the location of the office and its ambience. It offers a very comfortable working environment.
I am confident that I made the right choice to join this company.
(On secondment from Mizuho Corporate Bank)
Mainly, I am in charge of developing derivatives products for Mizuho Corporate Bank. I work on the development of modeling and of pricing engines for exotic products in cooperation with users who are in sales & trading business. I feel a sense of achievement in being able to play a part in the advancement of financial technology in Japan when I see that the products I have spent time working on are actually traded and are helping improve earnings for sales & trading division and contributing to clients' risk management.
The fact that the fundamental mathematical knowledge I learned in schools can be directly applied in daily business is the most appealing. After joining the company, through the internal training program, there are opportunities to study abroad or to attend a graduate school in Japan. One is expected to have a high degree of specialized knowledge in this company, so the work environment is quite conducive for professional growth of individuals. In fact, I personally took advantage of this system, and was able to earn my MBA ,learning Financial Engineering systematically at a graduate school for working professionals. For another thing, there are many professionally active women in this company. This company's culture is such that every employee is entrusted with responsibilities according to his or her abilities and characteristics, and I think it is a good place for women to work as well.
(On secondment from Dai-Ichi Mutual Life)
Since joining Dai-Ichi Mutual Life in 1997, I have consistently been engaged in fields related to financial engineering. My major in university was not engineering and I didn't even know what Brownian motion was when I started my career in the field of financial engineering. It's amazing even to me that now I teach junior staff, and head up a team as its leader. I feel I owe it all to the well-organized training system offered by the company, and the ideal work environment which has allowed me to work alongside specialists in various fields of financial technology.
At the Financial and Actuarial R&D Department No.1 that I belong to, we are engaged in consultation and tool development related to annuity and insurance risk management as well as product development mainly for the Dai-Ichi Mutual Life group. I feel a great sense of accomplishment when our consulting and tools that we have developed are used in management decisions. As I watch over my subordinates and younger colleagues growing through daily work, it gives me a sense of satisfaction and invigorates me for yet more efforts.
One point that was quite attractive for me is the fact that it allows me to interact freely with people from other financial segments like banking and non-life insurance both at work and privately. I have personally found that communication with various people in the smoking room has helped me broaden by knowledge, even thought most of it is small talk. A lot more happens in the smoking room than I have imagined, so it doesn't look like I will be quitting smoking any time soon.
