Interview with SSRI Office GM Mr Hiroshi Karashima

Exclusive Interview with
SSRI Office GM Mr Hiroshi Karashima

“Be Bright, energetic, and health-first.
(明るく、元気に、健康第一)”

Mr Hiroshi Karashima
SSRI Office GM
PT. Sumitomo Indonesia

View Mr Hiroshi Karashima’s CV here!

You were the Office GM of SCVN in 2016-2018, and now the Office GM of SSRI. What are the similarities and differences in the challenges and opportunities you have faced in managing the 2 offices? How did you adapt your leadership style?

This is my second assignment to stay in Indonesia. I have spent time in Indonesia for more than 10 years in total now, while I only spent 2 years in Vietnam. Even though it was a short stay in Vietnam, I was involved in the Ho Chi Minh MRT construction project for years and shared a lot of time with everyone at the launching of the smart city project in North Hanoi, which was exciting and intense. Indonesia and Vietnam are both indispensable when I talk about my life, and it is no exaggeration to say that those are my second beloved hometowns. Both countries are (1) important friends of Japan, (2) great in diversity and individuality. There is no difference in my leadership style, nothing special. I always try to be natural.

Planting mangrove at Sumbawa, as part of SSRI CSR programme

Surprise birthday celebration from employees

Indonesia has declared its commitment to Net Zero Emission by 2060 along with progressive implementation of regulations towards this goal. What are your strategies and considerations for SSRI and SBUs/group companies in the area of sustainability?

The path to Zero Emission will not be easy. As you know, Indonesia is the world’s largest coal exporter. The benefits from the competitive coal price are widely supporting the domestic energy supply chain in Indonesia. Therefore, the impact of transforming to renewable energy will be enormous compared to other countries.

On the other hand, Indonesia has the world’s third-longest coastline and one of the largest tropical rainforests. As such, Indonesia stands out in the world as a country with big potential for creating blue carbon and forest carbon credits. We are also working on waste incineration power generation projects and geothermal power generation projects.

In our various businesses in Indonesia, we are going to (1) make the carbon emission of each business visible, (2) visualise the target of each year, and (3) take concrete actions. It is all about executing it with reliability. We should recognise that it is important to combine several portfolios based on Oxford Offsetting Principles so that we can withstand any risk of regulation changes.

What is happiness in life for you?

Good question. More than 10 years ago, I was hospitalised for a long time and I had a chance to think about what happiness meant. I have my own formula for happiness. When the four elements of (1) Health, (2) Family and friends, (3) Learning and experience, and (4) Work and Social Contribution are satisfied in a well-balanced manner, my happiness barometer hits the upper limits. Some of you may feel strange, however for example, as of today I continue to buy paintings by young artists in Bali, whose works were devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, even though I only have a small amount of money to spend. My office is filling up with pictures, and I am donating them as decorations for the conference room in the office or as a prize for a company golf competition. Some of my colleagues who thought the paintings were good, sympathised with me and bought pictures from them. When I travel to Bali, I can have some special experiences to feel and learn about art with those young artists. I told them that as long as we stay healthy, we can do anything, and we won’t have to worry about anything.