Koichi Kanoya, President and CEO of Anpha Corporation

Putting customers first and providing solutions to their problems

President and CEO of Anpha Corporation　Koichi Kanoya(Kanaya Koichi)

■ Profile

After graduating from the Faculty of Economics at Sophia University in 1989, he joined Sanwa Bank Ltd. (now Mitsubishi UFJ Bank Ltd.). After working for a foreign securities company, he joined Vissel Kobe Co., Ltd. in 2004. He was involved in the sports business for nine years, and then worked as an external consultant for Anpha Co., Ltd., a sponsor of Vissel Kobe. He joined the company as a managing director in 2016, and was appointed president and representative director of the company in 2020.

Anpha Co., Ltd. is famous for its men's shampoo "Scalp D." In addition to cosmetics, the company also develops businesses that address customer concerns, such as sleep and women's health checkups, thanks to its close relationship with doctors. We spoke to CEO Koichi Kanoya about the reasons for promoting the business and what he values ​​in his work.

During my student days, I was absorbed in part-time jobs and club activities, leading a normal student life. At the time, I had a strong tendency to seek stability, and since I was studying finance in my seminars, I joined Sanwa Bank (now Mitsubishi UFJ Bank), which was booming at the time. At the time, Japan was based on indirect finance, so one of the reasons I decided to join the bank was that I thought I would be able to learn a lot by working at the heart of the economy.

I learned a lot and gained a lot of benefits from joining a bank. Through finance, I became good at numbers and was able to gain the trust and confidence of many people, which I think has been useful in many situations up to now.

Nowadays, in an age where we can make our own choices, it's common to go home early and spend time on our own, but back then, it was normal to stay late at the office and study. However, I feel that this allowed me to gain a wide range of knowledge and experience. I experienced many challenges while working at the bank, but after 10 years there (even though very few people around me were changing jobs at the time), I began to have doubts about the employment system at Japanese companies and was determined to compete on a global level, so I changed jobs to a foreign securities company. The first five years were very smooth, but then I moved to another foreign company, where they downsized, so I had to leave the company and decided to leave the world of finance.

I debated whether I should return to corporate employment, but to challenge myself and see how far my skills could take me, I founded my own company and worked in a variety of jobs, including corporate consulting. After that, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position at Vissel Kobe, where I was able to work in the sports business as executive vice president and president. After nine years there, I became involved as an external consultant for Anpha, a sponsor of Vissel Kobe, and joined the company as a managing director in 2016. I was appointed president in 2020. As someone with a strong preference for stability, I never imagined back in my student days that I would end up working for a foreign financial institution and a soccer club before becoming a president. However, I believe I am where I am today because I made the choice I needed from a wide range of options and consistently worked honestly and diligently at the tasks before me.

The Anfa Group is a group that provides optimal solutions (products and services) linked to medical care according to the depth of customers' concerns, so that people can live healthy, happy, beautiful and fulfilling lives forever.

To that end, we are committed to providing services and products based on the latest medical knowledge to every aspect of people's lives through five businesses: hair care and skin care, sleep, online medical consultations, fast clinics, and women's health checkups, all while being mindful of each individual.

Our close relationship with doctors allows us to understand the needs of patients and develop products and services that meet their requests. Until now, concerns have been divided into those specific to men, women, young people, and the elderly, but with the advancement of women in the workforce, people are now facing a variety of concerns regardless of age or gender. We believe that providing solutions to these concerns will lead to the resolution of social issues and problems.

For this reason, although we have been known for our Scalp D shampoo and eyelash serum, we have now begun to focus on our women's health checkup business. Our women's health checkup business addresses the anxieties and worries women have by helping them plan their physical lives so they can age healthily and beautifully. There is not much public interest yet, but we feel that steady efforts are important to raise awareness, so we hold regular seminars on women's diseases both inside and outside the company. With these steady educational activities and the cooperation of doctors, we hope to spread women's health checkups throughout society.

■ It's important to choose who you work with

Anfa is a company that values ​​who we work with. We value people who take even small tasks and tasks personally, have a sense of responsibility, and have the desire to grow and a spirit of challenge.

When continuing to work together, one indicator is whether or not you share Anpha's principles and philosophy. Anpha's corporate philosophy is "to increase the number of people who want to make life more enjoyable by making themselves more beautiful and healthy," and I believe that it is because we understand this philosophy that we can work toward the same goal.

Furthermore, as AI continues to develop, I believe that communication skills such as curiosity, the ability to ask questions, and consideration will be even more important in society. I myself have always been conscious of these things, no matter what workplace I've been in. Even though there are limits to what you can learn from studying, communication skills are the only thing you can train. Can you express gratitude sincerely? Can you take on challenges of your own accord? And I believe that being able to tackle things honestly will be extremely important factors in the future of work.

■Message to university students

I feel like more young people are seriously considering their careers than ever before. While that's a good thing, if the career you want doesn't align with what you're currently doing, you'll likely spend more time wondering, "Is this really the way I want it?" Also, with the widespread use of social media, people's private lives are now more visible. Because the grass is often always greener on the other side, some people may agonize over whether their current situation is right for them and quickly quit their jobs in search of change. However, even if you envy others, I believe that people have countless possibilities and options, and that a working life is truly long. Therefore, once you've set your goals, you should be prepared to stick to them. If you're interested in a variety of things and constantly work hard to improve the quality and quantity of your actions, you'll likely encounter some fortunate, unexpected encounters.

Student Newspaper Online Interview: May 8, 2023 Kokugakuin University 3rd year student Shimada Daiki / Nihon University 4th year student Wada Maho