​From the perspective of running a business, nothing beats recognition and awards that stem from staff feedback. With that in mind, being ranked in the top 4 companies for women to work for in Japan from the “Great Place to Work Institute” was pretty special.

Working in Japan in particular can be a challenge for ambitious women. The statistics about women in leadership positions and the “glass ceiling” are well documented. In addition to this, the “stereotypical” Japanese working environment can fall well short of modern standards in terms of sexism, safety, and general diversity.

At Cornerstone we have a truly international environment, with staff from 17 different countries represented in the office. Combine this with a modern working environment, serious consideration and incentives around staff welfare and the result is an office where people can really feel comfortable and productive.

Despite all this, the real key to being a great place for women to work in Japan is to offer genuine equality of opportunity. In our business it really doesn’t matter how old you are, your nationality, or if you are male or female. Your career progression and financial success is purely determined by your individual results. All of our promotion targets and financial incentives are completely transparent, hit the target and get the reward....simple.

Aside from this, despite being a sales-focused business (with extremely rewarding individual incentives) we really value teamwork as a core principle. Everyone in our business buys into the idea that in order to succeed as an individual you first have to operate well as a team. This is a little different from the macho, ego-driven sales environments found in other companies, and is a culture where female employees can really thrive.

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