Sophia Magazine vol.5 / SUMMER 2017

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Minaguchi is enthusiastic for companies and people to grow because diverse experiences and opportunities paved paths for him to grow.He chose to enter Sophia University because he had come into close contact with craftspeople from Italy through his family’s shoemaking business, and he wanted to work in an international environment. However as a college student, he was less focused on studying than he was on playing for the golf club where he made friends with whom he still re-mains in contact. But he enrolled in a seminar conducted by Ms. Kuniko Inoguchi, former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Conference on Disarma-ment, Geneva, and Professor Emerita at Sophia University, where he learned about the importance of expressing one’s own views in the international community. Remembering the culture shock of hearing the opinions of colleagues with overseas experience at the seminar, Minaguchi says, “Some-one said that English is easier to understand when it’s not translated into Japanese, which was so surprising. At the time, I couldn’t understand the meaning of it, but later I went overseas myself, and I understood when I read logically written English textbooks and theses.” After graduating from Sophia University, Minaguchi con-tinued to look beyond Japan. He wanted to acquire an MBA in the U.S., but found out that he needed work experience, so he temporarily returned to Japan to work at a foreign-affiliated consulting firm. After gaining practical experience, he went overseas once more. In search of an even more chal-lenging environment, he acquired his MBA at Bocconi Uni-versity in Italy, where there were almost no other Japanese people.After returning to Japan, he spent a few years in his family business. “It was then that I was forced to make difficult de-cisions all the time as a manager, and through firsthand ex-Opportunities to Make Decisions Enable People to Growperience I learned the importance of growth to companies, and how exposure to cultural differences, language barriers, and difficult decision-making contributes to personal devel-opment.”Such experiences also taught him the importance of brand power. “Japanese people cherish monozukuri (craftsman-ship), but have little awareness of building a brand. In con-trast, Europeans engage in overwhelming brand-building by integrating the strengths of their stores, people, and histo-ries. That is how they protect the craftspeople who underpin the manufacturing of the branded products. Brand culture eventually becomes obsolete without such an effort.”Minaguchi joined Louis Vuitton because it was a state-of-the-art brand-building company, was immediately assigned to the headquarters in Paris, and was put in charge of devel-oping a program to improve worldwide services.“Creating a brand involves making progress in small incre-ments, but that’s what you have to focus your passion on,” stresses Minaguchi.Since joining Starbucks, Minaguchi has launched a series of new initiatives dedicated to bolstering the brand, start-ing with Starbucks Evenings, which introduced alcoholic beverages. Starbucks has also launched TEAVANA, a new tea brand; community-based “Neighborhood and Coffee Stores”; and for Starbucks Japan exclusively, the “Youth Connection @ STARBUCKS” program that supports high school students who contribute to local communities. Next year, in the Nakameguro area of Tokyo, the company will open Starbucks Reserve Roastery with a roaster operating in the store.“As an executive, I hope to continue creating more work-places with diverse environments that allow people to grow.”4 and 5. Minaguchi’s coworkers from his time in France6. His friends from the golf club at So-phia46525Sophia People