[Interview with Yuqi Cheng, President & CEO, and Yasunori Ohashi, Executive Officer, of ARK CONSULTING Co., Ltd.] Unveiling the Future of the “Ark” Envisioned by ARK CONSULTING

SAP, once the exclusive domain of large corporations, is now spreading rapidly to small and medium-sized enterprises thanks to advances in cloud technology. ARK CONSULTING Co., Ltd. is a pioneer blazing a trail in this growing market.

We interviewed Tei, the company’s Representative Director, and Ohashi, who joined after extensive experience at major firms. We asked about the strengths of the SAP consulting they focus on, and the passion behind the name “ARK.”

ARK CONSULTING Establishing a Presence in the SAP Market for SMEs

— Could you tell us about your specific current business and your strengths in the market?

Tei: Our three main pillars are “Business Consulting,” “IT Consulting,” and “Project Management.” In business consulting, we support a wide range of activities — from management strategy formulation and fundamental improvement of business processes through to new business development. Our style is to accompany clients until things are actually moving on the ground and producing results — not to remain in the realm of theory.

IT consulting is one of our major strengths — particularly in supporting ERP (core system) implementation centered on SAP, where we have top-class expertise in Japan. Being selected as an “SAP Sell Partner” just five years after founding is something we attribute to our technical capability and track record being recognized.

And what ensures all of this succeeds is project management (PMO). To advance large, complex projects smoothly, we manage risk from both the client side and the vendor side, and navigate reliably toward the goal.

Ohashi: As mentioned, SAP consulting is our strongest domain — it accounts for 80 to 90% of revenue. In terms of engagement type, subcontracting from major firms (SES) currently represents about 70% of revenue. However, over the past one to two years, we have been rapidly accelerating the shift toward “prime engagements” — won directly from clients.

— How many employees do you have?

Ohashi: There are 50 full-time consultants and approximately 6 in back-office roles. The 50 include members hired under a junior development track. The fundamental career path is as an SAP consultant.

— How many people work on a project and how is it structured?

Ohashi: For prime engagements, while there is some variation depending on the scale of the engagement, in general it is typical to run a project with a total of around 10 to 15 people.

One PM and one PMO are assigned, with domain-specific teams formed below them. SAP has five main domains — sales, procurement, production, financial accounting, and management accounting — and for each domain a team of two is formed: one leader and one member. For an engagement requiring all five of those teams, that means 2×5=10 people in motion.

Depending on the type of engagement, a development team or members handling specialized domains may also be added, which brings the average to around 15 people.

Tei: The SAP solutions domain for Japanese SMEs that we focus on still has relatively few competitors — and that is one of our major strengths.

Autonomy and Experience Unavailable at Major Firms

— What are the benefits for junior and mid-level consultants of working at your company?

Tei: The greatest appeal is the ability to “work with the same perspective as management” from an early age. At a major firm you are one of thousands, but at ARK CONSULTING, having discussions with Ohashi and me in the course of everyday work is completely normal. In addition, because SME engagements move on a yearly cycle, you can experience many implementation phases, which means skills are developed at an overwhelming pace.

Ohashi: Flexibility in how you work is also a strength. Two of the prime engagements we are currently handling are running fully remotely. The old belief that “you have to be on-site” has been replaced by the confidence, gained through the COVID pandemic, that quality can be maintained remotely. Being able to support DX at regional SMEs regardless of location is something only possible in the modern era.

— What career path options are available?

Tei: Starting next year, we plan to clearly define two routes — “Specialist (Expert)” and “Management.” Beyond Senior Consultant level, people can choose based on their own aspirations.

Beyond that, in keeping with our company vision of “Bloom Your Own Color,” paths are also available for aiming for CXO as a next-generation leader, or launching a subsidiary or new business. We are currently exploring a new AI-related business together with one of our members, and we also have the establishment of a development company in our sights for the future.

— What mindset do you want in the people you work alongside?

Tei: Someone who has ambition and curiosity, and can make steady effort toward their goals. In terms of character, we place great emphasis on being cheerful and having the “unfazed attitude” of being willing to speak in front of others. While we previously accepted those without prior experience, we are currently focusing our recruitment on “people with SAP experience” to further strengthen our specialist capabilities. We are broadly recruiting accomplished professionals, up to around 50 years of age as a rough guideline.

Ohashi: I place great emphasis on positive thinking. When you face a challenge with no clear answer, rather than giving up with “I can’t do this,” being able to offer alternatives — “here’s how we could do it” — is what matters. With that attitude, you will absolutely shine in the ARK environment.

Incidentally, I’m part of the “Slam Dunk generation” and was dedicated to basketball as a student. We have an active basketball club in-house where I get to work up a sweat with younger members. We’re looking for people who can throw themselves into work and play, both with a positive attitude.

Choosing to “Found Your Own Company” to Learn Management — Starting with 10 People Bound by Trust

— Could you tell us about your journeys so far? President Tei, how did you come to found the company?

Tei: I came to Japan from China in 2011. The trigger was a growing desire in my third year of university to “get to know the outside world.” The fact that a friend was in Japan, and the appeal of Japanese anime, dramas, and food culture, were all significant factors. When I arrived, I couldn’t speak any Japanese at all.

In graduate school I specialized in business management and organizational theory, and it was through that research that I first encountered ERP (SAP). The company information session I attended as a graduate student was the starting point of my career. I then built up experience from operations and maintenance at a Japanese SAP specialist company, before joining Abeam Consulting, where I gained experience on numerous implementation projects.

As a next step I considered moving into strategy consulting, but the core skills of consulting are common across fields. I concluded that “the fastest way to learn about management is to found your own company.” In 2019, I launched ARK CONSULTING with ten like-minded colleagues.

— What inspired the name “ARK CONSULTING”?

Tei: It was named after “Noah’s Ark.” The idea is that everyone who boards this vessel can move together toward a happy future. It started with wanting to make the people close to us happy, but now we have also ramped up external hiring and have grown to 56 employees — we have a sense of all of us building a larger “ark” together.

— Mr. Ohashi, I understand you have experience at multiple major consulting firms. Could you tell us about your career?

Ohashi: I entered the working world in 2000, and chose the SE path with the fairly lighthearted thought that “as long as I’m involved with IT, I won’t have trouble finding work.” The first company I joined was a small SIer, but I got into the world of SAP by being the only one in the company to raise their hand, and I’ve been exclusively focused on SAP for over twenty years since.

I moved through Abeam, BearingPoint (now PwC), Deloitte, and Qunie — but most of those moves were “team transfers” where I followed a mentor or senior colleague. The major turning point was Tei reaching out to me — we had worked together on a project at Qunie. Wanting to take on a focused challenge in a specific domain in a flatter, faster-moving environment, I joined in 2023.

— Finally, what is your vision for the future?

Tei: Our goal is 150 people in three years and 300 in five. While keeping SAP prime engagements as the core, we also want to expand into solutions beyond SAP and into business consulting domains going forward. We are also planning to relocate our office to the Roppongi area in April 2026, in anticipation of further growth.

Ohashi: I want to establish a position where, across Japan’s SMEs, “ARK CONSULTING” is the first name that comes to mind for public cloud implementation in manufacturing. I want to develop highly recognized specialist consultants in specific domains, and continue to be a powerful partner supporting Japan’s economic growth.

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【Post-Interview Note】

ARK CONSULTING Co., Ltd. — Company Information

Address	ARK Mori Building 17F, 1-12-32 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-6017
Representative	Representative Director & President: Ikuki Tei
Capital	¥80,000,000 (as of November 1, 2023)
Business Activities	IT consulting and IT product development

ARK CONSULTING Co., Ltd. — Job Listings