Hiroki Ogino, President and CEO of Novarese Co., Ltd.

The best wedding ceremony can be created by valuing people

President and CEO of Novarese Co., Ltd.　Hiroki Ogino(Hiroki Ogino)

■ Profile
After graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University's School of Management, he joined Novarese Co., Ltd. in 2004 as part of the company's second batch of new graduates. After gaining experience as a wedding planner in Nagoya and Utsunomiya, he was promoted to manager in his third year. Since 2008, he has been in charge of stores in Hamamatsu, Nagoya, Kamakura, and Yokohama as general manager. In March 2016, he was appointed representative director and president, a position he holds to this day.

Novarese Co., Ltd. operates a bridal business with 65 stores in Japan and overseas, with the corporate philosophy of "Rock your life." President and CEO Hiroki Ogino says he wants to prioritize the essence of Novarese over sales figures. We asked him about what Novarese should be like in order to provide inspiring wedding ceremonies.

■A different world from the baseball I first experienced in college

I remember that everything about university life was new to me, as I had been completely absorbed in baseball from elementary school through high school and had never seen anything else. During my time at university, I was absorbed in part-time jobs and hobbies, and spent every day filled with excitement. I met a variety of people and communicated with them. Although my university life was fulfilling and very enjoyable, deep down I felt like I wasn't getting any satisfaction. I wasn't getting the sense of accomplishment or growth that I had when I was playing baseball.

■Attracted by the adults at Novarese

The lack of satisfaction I felt at university motivated me and made me want to become passionate about something again and achieve my goals. However, even though I attended information sessions for various companies, I just couldn't imagine myself working in the future. Above all, even when I spoke with recruiters and superiors, I couldn't get the feeling that I wanted to be like them.
However, when I happened to be invited by a friend to a Novarese information session, my image and concept of adults completely changed. The people I saw there were not the tired adults I usually see on my way to school, but the shining president and employees. I got excited imagining that my future was in the hands of the seniors in front of me. That was a big reason why I was attracted to Novarese.

■The spirit inherited from the previous president

Before becoming president, I was in charge of a wedding venue for a long time, where I always worked with such a sense of responsibility that I almost felt like I was the president of the facility. I also often called former CEO Asada directly to ask his thoughts. I especially consulted him before making any big decisions. As a result, Asada really understood my passion for my work and my love for the company. However, this was only possible because the president was close to the field. Therefore, since I became president, I have continued the spirit of valuing "closeness with staff" and am working hard to create an environment where they can shine.　

What are the people at Novarese?

As the saying goes, "birds of a feather flock together," and I feel like this company is filled with people who share the same DNA. People who have been passionate about something, who enjoy making people happy, who have lived their lives supported by those around them, and who have a strong desire to give back in some way, are all gathered here.
What we need is people who are cooperative, self-motivated, and have the ability to think, and who are able to be moved by small things. We also consider from the customer's perspective whether we would want that person to be in charge of our wedding, and then decide whether to hire them.
A company can change for better or worse depending on its people. We aim to be a company where people praise the people at Novarese, saying that the wedding provided by our staff was the best.

■What only Novarese can do

People tend to think of work as being difficult and tough, but in reality it is a happy and exciting experience. Novarese values ​​this "excitement." For example, we have an inspiring holiday called "Rock Day" twice a year, and we recognize the most outstanding staff member as the annual MVP. We are always thinking about how we can make our staff enjoy their work and what we can do to make them excited. Weddings are a time filled with smiles, so in order to deliver excitement and happiness to our customers, it is our own happiness that comes first.
We always instruct our on-site staff to "see things from the customer's perspective." Rather than engaging with customers for long periods of time, we limit everything from showing them around the venue to explaining the estimate to within two hours. This is quite unusual in an industry where long wait times are the norm, but we instruct our staff to prioritize the customer's requests rather than determining the length of the visit based on the venue's needs. Furthermore, many of our wedding venues are fully reserved for two couples per day, one morning and one afternoon. This ensures that customers will not be sharing the same venue with other customers, allowing them to use the venue as if it were their own home. Furthermore, at Novarese, we handle most of our ancillary services in-house, including dresses, wedding favors, and photography, allowing us to offer the latest services. By allowing customers to see the high-quality service that only our company can provide on the day of the wedding, and providing it to not only the bride and groom but also their guests, we have become a company trusted by many.

■Message to university students

You are all diamonds in the rough, and will be leading Japan into the future. I hope you will work hard and be positive in everything you do, without fear of criticism. If you have something you want to do or a dream, work hard towards it. If there are any of you who haven't decided yet, I have one piece of advice for you regarding your job search: When deciding on a company, don't focus on salary or benefits; instead, consider whether the senior colleagues in front of you excite you to think of them as your future. Working at a company that makes you want to become the kind of person they are will lead to your personal growth. We live in an age where it's impossible to predict what the world will be like in two or three years, but precisely because of this, the greatest stability lies not in salary but in your own growth. Don't forget to continue taking on challenges and growing, and help brighten up Japan, a country that still has so much potential.

Student Newspaper July 31, 2023 Mai Wakao, First Year Student at International Christian University