Louise／Senior Manager

Career Steps

First Year

Joined Rakuten, Inc. in April 2019, managing projects in mobile authentication and architecture. Appointed as a vice manager in the second year.
Third Year

Transferred to Rakuten Payment, Inc. as a vice senior manager of the Cross-Service Development Department in the Systems Division, while handling team management.
Now

Oversees strategic planning, member support, and process improvement across all aspects of the front end development department as a senior manager.

Profile

I earned a bachelor’s degree in politics, psychology, and sociology at a UK university. After working on B2B customer support in system development at a UK company, I moved to Rakuten, Inc. to work closer to upstream phases. After working on various projects, I transferred to Rakuten Payment in 2021 and became a senior manager who is responsible for project management and team member support.

Current Role

The mission of the Front End Development Department in the Product Development Division is to combine Rakuten’s diverse services and technologies to empower users, partner companies and society. We aim to improve the experience for users and partners beyond the boundaries of services and technology.
As Department Manager, I work on strategy and process improvement, and I also coach and mentor team members. Our team brings together diverse nationalities from Japan, Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Each member is passionate about tackling challenges. I focus on building and supporting an environment where they can realize their potential and thrive.

Why I Chose Rakuten Payment

I believe the key to choosing a company is understanding what the company and its people aim for. Curiosity for new ideas and the ongoing effort to improve services—that’s what Rakuten strives for and what I find attractive.
Before joining Rakuten, I worked on system development for drop shipping at a UK company. While supporting client companies, my desire grew to expand my knowledge of new software features and engage in more upstream processes, which led me to change jobs.
I wanted to help develop services embedded in daily life and contribute to greater user convenience. Rakuten offered that, along with the appeal of working across a wide variety of services. After joining, I led the development and release of the latest authentication technologies. Now, at Rakuten Payment, I manage multiple projects related to the Rakuten Pay app.

What Makes Working at Rakuten Payment Rewarding?

One of Rakuten’s signature cultures is acting as ONE Team. It’s supported by Rakuten Shugi, our shared values and principles. With common values across diverse backgrounds, we can aim for one goal. Approaches to that goal are diverse too—many ideas emerge, and we use them to tackle challenges creatively.
My department focuses on driving cross-use of services. In projects to release new features, members from marketing, development, and QA collaborate. We pool our expertise, exchange ideas, and build better products together. Mutual support is essential to success. Challenging new value creation as ONE Team is a real highlight.

Future Career and Goals

The projects my team handles often come with tough problems. We break tasks down and solve them one by one. The sense of achievement when we finally reach the goal is huge. I want to keep deepening my skills while strengthening team collaboration.
“Speed!! Speed!! Speed!!” is a success concept in Rakuten Shugi. Despite being a large company, the momentum to get things done is strong which surprised me after joining. Amid that speed, I’ve seen Rakuten Payment and our services grow. Collaboration across teams, departments, and Group companies is stronger, and places where you can use payment services like Rakuten Pay are increasing. I want to launch products that fit the many values of Rakuten Group services and feel easier for users to use.

Message to Candidates

When I manage team members, I focus on guiding growth. Rather than giving answers, I ask questions that help them think. If it’s hard to speak up, it’s my role to create a safe environment. I also lead efforts in work efficiency and prioritization, and I emphasize building an environment that supports work–life balance.
Although Rakuten is a Japanese company, the workplace is international. There are many services and innovative projects to join. Being able to satisfy your curiosity while you work is something unique to Rakuten.