Mitsuo Koyama, Managing Executive Officer and Chief Digital Officer (CDO), Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc.

Promoting DX and aiming to realize a comfortable, safe and secure smart society

Managing Executive Officer and Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. Mitsuo Koyama(Oyama Mitsuo)

■ Profile
After joining Tohoku Electric Power, he worked in the accounting department and was seconded to an information and communications company, and since 2020 he has been working on business development aimed at realizing a smart society. He has also been promoting the group's DX since 2023.

Tohoku Electric Power is growing with an eye on a new era, aiming to realize a smart society originating from Tohoku. The company says its major task is to revitalize people's lives while providing a stable supply of energy. We spoke with Managing Executive Officer Koyama, who continues to take on the challenge of creating new businesses based on a DX strategy, about the company's growth strategy.

I majored in accounting and cost accounting in university. At the time, financial institutions were popular places to work, but because I studied accounting, I had a strong desire to see the actual process of making and selling things. While interviewing with manufacturers, I became interested in the accounting of electric power companies and decided to join the company.

■ Utilizing accounting knowledge in the workplace

After joining the company, I worked in accounting for about 10 years. I was in charge of budget management and cost management, which allowed me to understand the work and flow of money throughout the company. Because I could see the process from where money comes in to where it goes out, I think I was able to get a bird's-eye view of the company's management itself, such as how to secure money without raising electricity rates, investment efficiency, cost management, and cost reduction.
The only times that electric power companies come into contact with ordinary people are when moving or when rates are revised, and they are hardly even considered in daily life. However, electricity is an infrastructure. We take it for granted that there will be no problems, but if the electricity goes out due to a disaster, it will affect many people. We are proud and feel a strong sense of accomplishment in knowing that we are performing an unseen but important job to ensure a stable supply of electricity that supports people's lives and industry. It makes us happy when people say "thank you" when the electricity goes out due to a disaster and then comes back on.

■ Learning from failure to take on new business ventures

The first time I tried to start a new business was around 2000, when I was seconded to an information and communications company. This was just when mobile phones and the internet were starting to become explosively popular. I tried to seize new business opportunities by starting many new businesses, but none of them worked out.
There are many things we need to reflect on, such as whether the concept was too naive, whether we didn't communicate properly with the customers, and whether the project was just for our own convenience.
Then, in 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, causing massive damage. Although the damage to the company was considerable, the company decided to once again tackle new business ventures, setting a goal of "carrying out a business that will realize a comfortable, safe, and secure smart society in an aging and declining population society, with an eye toward recovery from the earthquake disaster."
During our first attempt, we were enthusiastic about creating new businesses one after another, but this time, taking into account the lessons learned from the previous attempt, we thought thoroughly about how to grasp customer needs and what we needed to do to achieve that.
For example, in the housing field, we propose residential solar power generation equipment and storage batteries to customers who are concerned about the environment and electricity bills, and we offer emergency services for water, electricity, locks, etc. In terms of energy use, we are also working on a project to promote environmental protection and sustainable energy use at the local level by preserving local forests and generating biomass power using the wood from those forests.

Utilizing DX and outlook for the future

Recently, DX has been said to make a significant contribution to improving business efficiency, and our company is also actively working on DX. For example, our group owns many electric power business facilities, and we are facing the challenge of how to maintain and operate them efficiently. Also, as we have contact with many customers in the region, we are facing the challenge of how to provide courteous and accurate customer service. To solve these issues, it is important to collect and analyze good data in a timely manner and make repeated improvements.
It goes without saying that collecting and utilizing data is crucial to the success of new businesses. It can be said that business development is now difficult without DX. These efforts are being undertaken mainly by relatively young employees, and we are also actively promoting collaboration and cooperation not only with our group but also with venture companies and local companies. We are taking on the challenge of creating new value in an unprecedentedly open environment.

■Message

What I want to tell all students is "don't be afraid to take on challenges." At our company, we especially tell our young employees to have the attitude to take on challenges without being afraid of failure. There is a lot to learn from failure. I believe that using failure as a learning experience will lead to great growth for the individual, and ultimately to the growth of the Group.
It's also important to withdraw immediately if you fail. Failure and withdrawal are painful, but they are unavoidable. The important thing is to learn from them. How can you continue to challenge yourself in the midst of these challenges? From my experience, I think it's important to find something that is fun and worthwhile, and not be afraid of failure.

Student Newspaper, October 1, 2024 Issue, Keio University, Third Year Student, Sari Tsuka