a local bank where farmers or entrepreneurs of the region can get loans to expand their commercial activities in their communities.” That was where she learned the importance of the inflow of private sector capital in making local economies self-suffi-cient and sustainable. “The ultimate goal of the UN should be that its help is no longer needed thanks to a community becoming self-sufficient,” Murakami explains. “However, the problem was that I had no idea how investment decisions were made by private companies.” Having gained a master’s degree in international studies, she had an understanding of the theory and comprehensive picture of global economics, but there was much more to learn about the dynamics of the investment field. “I thought I should work in the private financial sector to gain experience, but all of the banks I sent my resume to said that I should go to business school because I didn’t have any business background,” she says. After staying in Cambodia for 10 months as part of the UN Peacekeeping Operations there, she enrolled in Harvard Business School to study for an MBA. “During my second year at the business school, I contacted the same banks that I had applied to two years before, and this time they all offered me a position,” Murakami says. She chose Goldman Sachs, and remained in the financial sector for about 20 years. “The whole time I was there, I thought I would go back to the public sector at some point to apply my knowledge and experience as a banker to public projects and activities.” She had seen many of her former bosses and colleagues do just that, as they took up positions in the US government, the World Bank, and other public organizations after having worked for Goldman Sachs for years. This gave her an idea of what she should be looking for in taking the next step forward in her career path. “Then six years ago, on the OECD’s website I came across an open-ing for the head of its Tokyo Centre,” she recounts, “and successfully applied for the role.”Murakami believes that the Japanese labor market is set to see increasing mobility, al-lowing more individuals to actively move between the private and public sectors or between companies and industries, nur-turing and utilizing their skills effectively just as she has. As the sole OECD office in Japan, the Tokyo Centre covers a wide range of fields. “We provide platforms between the OECD and our stakeholders, including government, busi-ness, academia, media, and civil society, to discuss policy-making, environment, gender equality, taxation: anything to do with the economy and society,” she explains. It is impor-tant that the center presents points of discussion relevant to locals, elaborates Murakami: “The interests of the audience here in Japan ought to be different from those in other parts of the world.” Based on these discussions, the Tokyo Centre offers policy advice that might help advance society. Through her duties as head of the center, Murakami simulta-neously enjoys tackling the question of labor mobility. “This is what everyone who works in an international arena faces, whether they are working in the public or the private sector,” she notes. So far, she has mainly been based in five locations, Barbados; New York; Cambodia; London; and Tokyo, with frequent travels to other places ever since she first began her career. “At one point, I was a single mother of three little chil-dren with a demanding job in Tokyo, with my husband based in Hong Kong for two years. This was of course not easy, and a personal sacrifice in a sense. But I also feel that it is a re-warding and exciting experience to work in different parts of the world,” she reflects. As a mother of children aged 11, 13, and 16 years, what Mu-rakami is most interested in is the future of the next genera-tions. “The pace of change is fast in every field,” she empha-sizes. “What is happening, and how, draws my attention and I am constantly thinking about how I can help shape the future for the generations to come.” Professional and Personal Missions22Sophia People
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