Interview with SCAO Group Transportation & Construction Systems BU GM Mr Tomoki Arikai

Exclusive Interview with SCAO Group Transportation & Construction Systems BU GM Mr Tomoki Arikai

“There is no use crying over spilled milk.”

Mr Tomoki Arikai
General Manager
Asia & Oceania Transportation & Construction Systems Business Unit
Sumitomo Corporation Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd

View Mr Tomoki Arikai’s CV here!

As BU GM of SCAO Group’s Transportation and Construction Systems Business Unit, your work spans diversified business fields including Lease & Business Development, Ship & Transportation Systems, Commercial Aviation and Construction & Mining Systems. How do you manage such a diversified portfolio? How are you addressing challenges and opportunities?

When I was working at a bank, I was involved in lease receivable securitisation, ship financing, and back-financing for aviation leasing.

This background inspired me to move to a trading company, driven by a desire to learn more about the asset portfolio of Sumitomo Corporation. This move has fueled my interest in aircraft, ships and other leasing business, and I am eager to engage in traditional sales activities while exploring new business development opportunities for our company.

Happy Hour with business partners

While construction equipment rental shares some similarities with leasing, it also presents distinct differences. By examining the rental business and identifying the similarities and differences between rental and leasing, I believe we can uncover exciting business opportunities. The challenge lies in complementing and combining the two business methods to create innovative new ventures.

Airport conference in Malaysia

Please share with us some of the most significant projects or businesses your BU has been working on. And what will be your business focus moving forward?

We are currently working to launch our new Rental & Leasing business in the Asia Pacific region, in partnership with Macquarie Bank, a leading Australian investment bank. This initiative focuses on providing various types of equipment used at airports to assist with aircraft take-off and landing. Our business model goes beyond simply leasing; we will also offer maintenance services and facilitate equipment sharing between users to enhance airport efficiency and effectiveness.I hope this initiative will serve as an example of how to leverage the benefits of financing and rental.

In ship business, our primary focus is on ship trading. Additionally, we aim to create a business that can earn revenue from asset value by teaming up with partners in ship ownership and utilising our expertise.

In the aircraft industry, we are bringing European and American expertise to Asia and exploring opportunities to expand our aircraft dismantling, part-out and Air Mobility businesses in Asia.

During your time stationed in Hong Kong, did you learn Mandarin or Cantonese? What are the similarities and differences between working and living in these two cities?

I learned Mandarin.

Hong Kong and Singapore are two city-states in the Asia-Pacific region that, while sharing many commonalities, are unique in their distinctive histories, cultures, governments, and economies. Hong Kong’s history is marked by its intertwining with China and Britain. Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and was integrated into China as a special administrative region. China has been governing it under the principle of one country, two systems, so the recent demonstrations were truly shocking for me. Singapore separated from Malaysia in 1965 and has a history as an independent country. Since then, it has undergone rapid economic development and established itself as an international commercial hub and continues to develop today. Now…, everything is too expensive for me, actually…

Both countries are multicultural and multilingual, and they share the common trait of being hubs for international trade, finance, and logistics. However, there were many situations in Hong Kong where only Mandarin was understood, so it was an excellent opportunity for me to learn the language during my stay. In Hong Kong, there are mountains and the sea, so you can spend your holidays surrounded by nature. On the other hand, one of the greatest things about Singapore is the ease of travelling to many neighbouring countries.