TBC Group Co., Ltd. Representative Director Keiko Tezuka

People can change. We bring healthy beauty to our customers and employees.

Representative Director, TBC Group Co., Ltd.　Keiko Tezuka(Tezuka Keiko)

■ Profile

While studying at the Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, she won the Miss Japan Grand Prix. She holds a doctorate in medicine and a doctorate in health science. After graduating, she joined TBC Group Co., Ltd. as the education director of the aesthetician training school, and later worked as a researcher at the general research institute, conducting joint research with universities and presenting at academic conferences. She has been in her current position since 2010. She focuses on everything from course and product development to recruitment and human resource development.

The aesthetic industry is crowded with many competitors. However, TBC Group Co., Ltd., with its 47-year history, continues to lead the industry by pursuing the beauty and health of its customers. In addition to developing its core business of aesthetic salons, the company has also continued to create a variety of services and products in recent years. We spoke to Mr. Tezuka, CEO of TBC Group Co., Ltd., about the company.

I was studying science at university, so my days were busy with experiments and practical training. At the time, people around me called me "Mucchan." I didn't know the origin of the nickname, but one day a male student told me, "You're called Muchchan because you're plump," which came as a huge shock. From that day on, I lost confidence in my appearance and became a recluse. However, I knew I couldn't continue like this, so I decided to lose weight, and I ended up losing 10kg in a year. This successful experience gave me a huge boost of confidence, completely transforming my personal life and becoming more proactive in getting out and doing things. Later, my older sister invited me to enter the Miss Japan Contest, and to my surprise, I won the grand prize. It was an experience that made me realize that changing your appearance can change your inner self as well.

My encounter with TBC

After graduating from university, I joined NHK and was assigned to the Production Operations Bureau, working as a general affairs and secretary. However, I realized that once you start working in general affairs or secretarial work, it's difficult to transfer, and as I had always wanted to work in the media, I left NHK. After that, I became a freelance newscaster at Nippon Television, and appeared as the Tokyo newscaster on the program "Zoom In!! Morning!" from its first broadcast. I also worked in international cooperation, and had a variety of other jobs in my 20s.

Among them, I happened to be introduced to TBC by an acquaintance and became interested in the company. I had always had a strong interest in beauty, but I was intrigued by the aesthetics offered by TBC, which aims to enhance one's natural beauty rather than merely enhance it. I decided to actually try TBC's hair removal service as a customer. To be honest, at first I was skeptical, thinking, "Is it a lie that hair doesn't grow back?" (laughs). However, once I actually underwent the treatment, hair really did stop growing. I was quite shocked, and wanted to learn more about hair removal, so I searched for papers at the University of Tokyo's Medical Library. There I found documents from 1875, and learned that the hair removal method used by TBC was based on American medical research and was a type of cosmetic electrolysis hair removal modified for aesthetic use. Convinced that TBC's aesthetics were genuine, I decided to join the company.

■ The biggest attraction is "an easy-to-work-for-employees environment"

After joining the company, I was first assigned to a department in charge of launching an esthetician training school. I was then assigned to a research institute, where I wrote a thesis in collaboration with a university and obtained my doctorate. In 2010, I was appointed Representative Director of our company. I feel that there is much to like about our company because of the extensive experience I have gained up to now. In particular, I believe that our 47-year tradition since its founding, and the fact that we are an esthetic salon that fulfills total beauty needs, are points that earn us the trust of not only customers but also many other companies.

Another strength of our company is that we have had our own research laboratory since our founding, and through research and development, we support salons behind the scenes, from product development and education for cosmetics, health foods, beauty equipment, and other products used in salons. Because we develop our products in-house, we are confident in the high quality and safety of our products. In recent years, we have increased the number of products we sell to the general public, and many people are using collaborative products with companies from other industries.

Furthermore, our company is a pioneer in the industry in pursuing a comfortable working environment for employees. For example, we have established a re-employment system to support the re-employment of employees who have left the company due to marriage or childbirth, and we also have a work interval system to create a comfortable working environment from the perspective of labor management. Currently, we ensure nine hours of rest time after work, and we aim to ensure 11 hours in the future.

Through these many initiatives, our company has been certified as a "Health and Productivity Management Excellent Corporation" for four consecutive years since 2020. As one of the few certified companies in the aesthetic industry, we will continue to strive to maintain this certification. We will continue to put our employees first and promote the creation of an environment where employees can work healthily. Furthermore, 90% of our employees are women. As a leading company in the industry, we hope to continue to be a company where women can build their careers without being greatly affected by life events.

■ Care for customers from the heart

Aesthetic work requires one-on-one interaction and communication with customers. This is why we are looking for people who respect our customers' feelings and can always empathize. We receive payment for providing aesthetic techniques, so our business would not exist without aestheticians and their skills. This shows how much our employees are our resource and source of strength. This is why we want people who can sincerely interact with each and every customer and truly want to make them happy to join us. In the future, we aim to be a company that can contribute broadly to people's lifestyles, not just aesthetics. If you want to be part of a company that disseminates new value, we encourage you to join us and demonstrate your abilities.

■Message to university students

It's important to continue learning even after entering the workforce, but there's no time like being a student when you can commit to studying. I urge you to cherish your time studying. It's also very important to know your own aptitudes before entering the workforce. Knowing your aptitudes requires a variety of actions and experiences, so deepen your self-understanding through a variety of activities, such as clubs, circles, and trips.

Student Newspaper Online, May 31, 2023, Interview by Miyu Ito, 4th year student at Keio University