“Everything adapts to the client.” Behind those words lies a strong resolve to commit to client growth in a gritty, hands-on way — going far beyond surface-level proposals. Yasuo Watanabe, who returned to the consulting front line after moving from a major consulting firm to an operating company and then back again, is currently pouring his heart into Berkeley Consulting — a newly established consulting firm.
What the company stands for is not mere IT implementation, but “DX that actually works.” Handling everything in an end-to-end fashion from strategy formulation through execution to talent development for self-sustainability, the company has won the trust of numerous clients with its overwhelming degree of autonomy and freedom.
Why, right now, take on “organizational building” from scratch in a compact structure? We asked about the company’s unique organizational culture — which embraces gritty determination — and the future vision of an organization building toward 100 to 200 members.
Yasuo Watanabe
At a major foreign consulting firm, gained extensive experience in planning and PMO engagements centered on government and financial sector clients. Subsequently worked in the IT planning division of a major direct insurance company, involved in planning, advancing, and maintaining various projects. Also gained experience leading large-scale projects and in PMO roles. Now back as a consultant, has joined Berkeley Consulting. As Senior Manager, handles operational improvement, PMO for large-scale projects, and RPA implementation. Also serves concurrently as a division head, involved in the company’s organizational management.
“Everything Adapts to the Client” — Business Content Aimed at Sustainable Corporate Growth
— Could you tell us about the current business?
We operate four businesses: DX consulting, operational consulting, IT consulting, and PM/PMO support.
In our main DX consulting business, we support clients around three pillars. The first is “DX strategy formulation.” We objectively assess the current situation, think through the goal to aim for together with the client, and work hands-on to develop a practical and effective strategy.
The second, “strategy execution support,” translates the vision that has been drawn up into concrete initiatives. We formulate a realistic plan that weighs priorities and difficulty levels, and connect it to certain outcomes.
The third is “DX talent development.” Real transformation doesn’t happen by simply continuing to rely on external forces. Developing people who have the mindset of how to make the most of digital tools — and can drive that on their own — is indispensable for sustainable corporate growth.
— So by handling a wide range beyond DX consulting, you are aiming for sustainable corporate development.
Yes. PMO and IT implementation support, examination of AI and data utilization, and upstream operational requirements organization — the breadth of what we handle is one of our characteristics. The range of clients we support is equally diverse. Financial sector clients are relatively prominent, but we support mid-tier and large companies across all industries.
Our current organizational structure is a single consulting division, with around 25 active members. The majority are mid-career hires from SIer backgrounds, but about half are also IT non-experienced individuals such as people transferred from group companies.
— Could you tell us about the project structure?
The numbers are still not large, but for prime engagements, the typical structure is one team leader and two to three members. There are also cases where three projects for the same client are running in parallel.
We also have cases where a single member joins via introduction from another consulting firm. In cases like these, we are careful to proactively communicate with the participating member and thoroughly confirm the situation.
— Are your client counterparts also often at senior levels?
Yes. For prime engagements in particular, we often face off with division heads and deputy division heads. In the sense of working with senior-level people, this is a significant experience for people new to the consulting industry or for younger professionals.
— Are there things you hold central in terms of working style?
The most important thing is “everything adapts to the client.” Rather than insisting on fully remote or on-site, each consultant independently decides and acts on whether it’s better to speak in person or to focus on work — all in service of solving what the client is struggling with.
Career Paths Range from Inexperienced to Experienced. At the Root: What Kind of Person Can “Dive” into Challenges?
— Could you tell us about the career paths for those who join?
It depends on years of experience, but for younger professionals in their early twenties or those without prior consulting industry experience, the starting point is Analyst level. Once they are producing results, they move into Consultant work.
For mid-career hires, there are many cases where those with experience at leader or manager level start immediately as Manager, or take on work from Senior Consultant level.
— Do you also hire people without consulting experience?
Whether from an SIer or an operating company, having IT experience and having driven something using it is sufficient even without consulting experience. What we consider necessary is having been involved in some kind of IT system construction, or having solved problems that arose independently, and therefore having a basic understanding of IT systems.
More than IT experience, basic communication ability is what we consider the more important skill. When having discussions with clients or within the team, we place considerable weight on whether someone can properly verbalize what they want to convey, and whether they can be trusted to handle things reliably.
— What kind of people thrive at your company?
“People who can act proactively.” People who not only notice a challenge but can “dive” into it themselves are the ones who thrive. For example, if they feel their system knowledge is lacking, they will read through books on their own and actually try things hands-on. Members who can commit to that level of gritty determination have explanations to clients that carry real conviction, which builds deep trust. That kind of persistent effort, I believe, is indispensable for thriving as a consultant.
A Career That Went from a Major Consulting Firm to an Operating Company and Back to Consulting Again
— Could you tell us about your career history so far?
My career started at Accenture. With Chinese IT companies rising at the time, my thinking was that leveraging IT knowledge to provide services to clients had more of a future than becoming deeply specialized as an engineer. I was assigned to the government sector headquarters, and at the time the headcount was still only around 2,000. It was a much “harder era” than what people might imagine today. The foundations were drilled into me thoroughly — including precise logical document writing down to the correct use of particles, and facilitation skills. I subsequently gained experience in PMO roles and as a leader on large-scale projects.
I had been steadily advancing as a Manager, but I wanted to see firsthand the process of “how a consultant’s recommendations actually take shape in the field.” That led me to choose the path of leaving the consulting firm, and I moved to Sony Sonpo (Sony Insurance).
— What kinds of work did you do at the operating company?
As part of the IT planning division, I handled things like host system maintenance and data warehouse renewal. The reality was more raw than I had imagined — I improved situations where management and operations couldn’t keep up and failures were occurring frequently, and drove the full renewal of the insurance reception system that had been in use since the company’s founding.
At the same time, however, I also felt acutely how difficult it is to move an organization from the inside. With many stakeholders, slow requirements definition, difficulties coordinating smoothly with business divisions — there were many moments of frustration at not being able to fully apply my own skills. That was what reinforced my recognition that “I want to challenge myself as a consultant who can powerfully drive transformation from the outside,” and I chose the consulting path once again.
— When returning to consulting, you could have gone back to a major firm. Why did you choose the newly founded Berkeley Consulting?
I could have returned to a similar environment to before, but since I was going to take on a new challenge, I wanted to work in a compact organization and engage purely with clients — rather than another large-scale consulting firm of the same kind. I also had the desire to be involved in building the organization itself. It was during my job search at that time that an agent introduced me to Berkeley Consulting, which had just been launched. “Not just consulting work, but the ability to be involved in launching the organization itself” — that opportunity for challenge was more attractive to me than anything else.
100% Autonomy. The Unique Pleasure of Building an Organization — Something Only Possible at This Stage
— Could you tell us about the experiences and appeal of joining Berkeley Consulting?
For those with consulting experience, the overwhelming degree of autonomy over engagements is what I think they’ll feel is uniquely ours. The experience to be gained from that is also something they’ll find very significant. The greatest appeal is the freedom to do high-quality consulting — because client relationship-building and how to proceed are largely entrusted to each individual consultant’s judgment.
— So experienced consultants can provide support with a high degree of freedom.
Yes. Of course, the company keeps track of client relationships and so on, but the fundamental stance is to leave things to each consultant.
In areas like AI and big data that are attracting a great deal of interest in recent years, we are also actively assigning people who raise their hand. We are considerate of enabling people to accumulate experience in a wide range of domains through company support, even if they don’t yet have sufficient experience or track record.
Because the organization is in an expansion phase, involvement in building the company’s systems is also possible. It’s an environment where voices like “I want to become a specialist in this domain” or “I want to build a new training curriculum” can readily take shape. If you join the Berkeley Consulting team now, I think you’ll be able to build up a wealth of achievements that would be difficult to accumulate elsewhere.
— Finally, could you share your vision for the future?
We are aiming to expand from the current team of under 30 to 100 people as quickly as possible, and then on to 200. By building the right structure, the first thing I want to achieve is a state where we can always raise our hand for the kinds of engagements we want to take on.
In terms of support content, beyond IT implementation, I want to expand our education and training menus to raise DX literacy among clients, and actively engage in organizational transformation starting from people. I want to broaden the scope of support that truly stands alongside clients, and experience the excitement of the organization growing — together with new colleagues who join us.
【Post-Interview Note】
I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Watanabe of Berkeley Consulting. The path that led him — through Accenture and Sony Sonpo — to take on the challenge of “organizational building” that is unavailable at a major firm was a fascinating one.
What impressed me most was the desire for people who don’t merely identify a challenge, but who “dive” deeply into that challenge and the field to resolve it themselves. While currently at around 30 members, the company is in an expansion phase with 100 members as a near-term target, and the ability to gain engagement autonomy early and be involved in internal policy design from the outset are pleasures uniquely available at this stage of the journey.
I felt this is the ideal environment for anyone who wants to flexibly stand alongside clients in their difficulties and grow the organization with their own hands.
ConsulNext Senior Consultant
Masahito Tsukada
Berkeley Consulting Inc. — Company Information
| Address | Sumitomo Fudosan Shinjuku Central Park Tower 11F, 6-18-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023 |
| Founded | October 1, 2019 |
| Capital | ¥10,000,000 |
| Representative | Representative Director: Etsuro Sumida |
| Business Activities | IT consulting business and ancillary businesses |
