Mami Nomura, Chairman of the IT Coordinator Association, a non-profit organization

Demand for IT coordinators is increasing due to digital transformation. IT management support from a field perspective

Chairman of the IT Coordinator Association, a non-profit organization　Mami Nomura(Masami Nomura)

■ Profile
Age 61 (as of October 2023)
Born in Kagoshima Prefecture. Graduated from the Faculty of Science at Kagoshima University.
After working as a system engineer and PM for financial institutions at Nihon Unisys, Ltd. for 17 years, he planned and implemented a new service for three years as the first in-house venture project.
For the 15 years since going independent, he has been supporting management and information technology at small and medium-sized enterprises.
Current position from October 2022.

With the recent boom in DX, the role of IT coordinators has been gaining attention. For small and medium-sized enterprises and local governments that want to promote DX, securing personnel to fulfill this role from a field perspective is a pressing issue. As an expert in this role, Chairman Nomura, who has had the foresight to develop the IT coordinator process for the past 20 years, spoke to us about the association's efforts and future prospects.

During my student days, I had a variety of experiences, including working part-time at the first Ringer Hut Kagoshima store, which opened near my university, teaching at a cram school, and playing in a band. One particularly stimulating experience was working at the Kagoshima Prefectural Government as a member of an IT company established within my university. As an operator, I was responsible for running programs in the prefectural government's server room. It was an exciting time to be exposed to cutting-edge technology as a student, especially in an era when personal computers were just beginning to appear. I then joined Nihon Unisys, Ltd., where I worked as a system engineer and project manager in the financial institution systems department. Through my work, I developed the hypothesis that financial institutions should also support the IT adoption of local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and that in doing so, they should utilize the IT coordinator process. This led me to launch an in-house venture and later go independent. Leveraging my experience in SME support, I developed tools for IT coordinators and worked on human resource development. I became the association's president in June 2022.

■ A training organization for "IT management professionals"

The IT coordinator certification is promoted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Since its inception in 2001, the number of certified individuals has steadily increased, currently exceeding 7. An IT coordinator's job primarily involves creating IT strategies and procuring them using RFPs (Request for Proposals). First, they interview management, visualize business processes, and determine the type of IT needed. They then obtain quotes and proposals from system companies and work with management to compare and evaluate them to support the optimal IT implementation. In other words, an IT coordinator is an "IT management professional who acts neutrally from a field perspective, organizes information, and collaborates with management to determine the ideal solution." Established as a nonprofit organization in 2001, our association is engaged in various initiatives centered on "supporting small and medium-sized enterprises through IT coordinators." First, we train and certify IT coordinators. To cultivate IT coordinators who are useful to society, we engage in lively discussions about the best exams and training, and create content for training and exams. Second, we facilitate business matching. We hold open recruitment events and IT management conferences to connect IT coordinators who want to gain on-site experience with businesses that need management support. We also support continuous learning. We hold training sessions and networking events to update IT knowledge in line with the changing times.

Currently, we only hire mid-career staff, and we are gathering members in areas where we are short of personnel. We plan to eventually hire new graduates, but the association itself does not yet have a training process for new graduates. It is very important to map out the steps, such as where we are aiming and how we will train them. We are currently in a transitional stage.

■ The key to the DX wave is the “growth loop”

While all qualifications are merely a starting point, these systems for continuous learning and business matching are becoming increasingly essential. In particular, the number of certified individuals at financial institutions has increased dramatically in recent years, and this trend is continuing. This is due to the Financial Services Agency's growing emphasis on "relationship banking," which has increased the need for financial institutions to provide ongoing support to local businesses. At regional banks, all employees are required to obtain the IT Passport, and those who support small and medium-sized enterprises are also required to obtain the IT Coordinator certification. For example, a regional bank in Ibaraki plans to have 400 IT coordinators. IT support for local governments is also on the rise. Minister of Digital Affairs Kono has advocated for administrative digital transformation, and the adoption of IT in local governments is an urgent priority. The association has begun training to develop digital transformation talent for local governments and is creating a scheme that allows even inexperienced individuals to support local governments. As this trend toward digital transformation at financial institutions and local governments continues, IT coordinators will likely become increasingly valuable in the future.
Our vision for the organization is to build a "growth loop." It's a system where things spiral upward by continuing to run the same loop, such as "municipalities should do this, and small and medium-sized enterprises should do that." One example I'd like to draw on is the "double loop" that Jeff Bezos of Amazon drew before founding the company. When I saw this picture, I realized that having a good loop is important for an organization's growth. I would like all IT coordinators to spread this value and to provide guidance while imagining a "growth loop" when supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. Even IT coordinators don't need to know all IT technologies. I want to build an organization where each person can develop their own area of ​​expertise, such as no-code or security, pursue their interests, and continue to grow together.

■Message to university students

The most important thing is to have interest. Adults say that you need a lot of knowledge, but that's just idealism. I think the type of people that organizations really want are people who are interested in their work and can dig deeper and research it. I also want students to develop a "mindset of ingenuity" while they're still students. Volunteering, part-time work, club activities, anything is fine. Don't stick to the old ways, but think about how you can be creative. I think "interest and ingenuity" are the keys to succeeding in an organization.

Student Newspaper Online, August 9, 2023, Interview by Yui Takemura, 4th year student at Senshu University