Metamorphose LLC primarily handles IT implementation projects. With a conscious focus on providing third-party support, the company is committed to consulting that enables clients to become self-sufficient. We interviewed Kazuo Yutani, Representative of Metamorphose LLC, about the meaning behind the company name and his vision for the future.
Kazuo Yutani
After gaining experience in the information systems division of Japan Post Insurance, he moved to a boutique consulting firm. While handling a wide range of projects spanning operational improvement and IT implementation, he obtained his Certified Management Consultant qualification and founded Metamorphose LLC. Together with employees and business partners, he drives system implementation and other projects on a daily basis.
*Metamorphose LLC was certified as a “2025 Excellent Health Management Corporation” in March 2025.
Primarily Handling DX Strategy Formulation and IT Implementation Project Support
— Could you tell us about Metamorphose’s business?
We provide support for DX strategy formulation and project management for IT implementation. Project scale ranges from mid-sized to large. We generally provide consistent support through the full arc of a project — from concept development and planning through to execution — and make a point of staying anchored to the project’s purpose while delivering support that is both thorough and fast-moving.
— Do you get involved from the upstream stages, such as systems concept development?
The number of projects where we are involved from the upstream is gradually increasing. IT implementation projects we are brought in on tend to proceed in accordance with plans that have been formulated in advance. However, as projects grow in scale, the number of stakeholders increases and it becomes harder to proceed as planned. It is not uncommon for projects to end up prioritizing getting a service launched over actually achieving the original purpose and intended outcomes.
To prevent projects from falling into this situation, we make a conscious effort to assess the kinds of challenges that tend to arise in projects fairly, from a third-party perspective. We stay focused on ensuring that the project’s original purpose and its actual reality don’t diverge, and strive to provide support that reliably delivers the goals the client has envisioned.
— What level of seniority are your counterparts on the client side typically at?
We most commonly work with the heads of departments such as the head of the information systems department, but there are times when we advance projects in direct communication with executive leadership.
In general, the challenges people face and what they expect from us differ depending on their role. For that reason, we are careful not to impose a one-size-fits-all ideal on our support. We must always prioritize responding to the specific concerns and expectations of the person in front of us, and be in a position to make appropriate proposals.
— You work in close coordination with clients — does that mean a lot of on-site presence at client locations?
We adapt to client preferences. In addition to myself, we have two full-time employees: one works entirely remotely, and the other splits roughly equally between going into the client’s office and working remotely.
A Second-Career Hire Who Grew from No Experience to PMO
— You currently have three members including yourself. Are there any contractors as well?
There are no contractors at present. We accept interns, who help with some of our internal operations. Going forward, we are looking to actively increase full-time hiring.
— Do your two full-time employees have backgrounds in information systems?
I am the only one with an information systems background — both of them came in with no experience in the field. One of them started with almost no hands-on experience even with spreadsheet software. Today they are both fully contributing members of the team.
— Given they had no IT background, did you train them from scratch yourself?
Yes. For approximately the first three months after joining, I dedicated that time to on-the-job training, having them support my work while they built up their knowledge. OJT doesn’t stop at the point of joining — it continues, enabling me to share my knowledge on an ongoing basis.
Hiring People Who Are Not Afraid of Change
— You are looking to step up your hiring. What kind of people are you looking for?
We want to actively hire people with project management experience, but also those with no prior industry experience.
In particular, we want to increase the number of people who can be active on a global stage. Both of our full-time employees are highly proficient in English and are involved in global projects and business activities.
With Japan’s economic stagnation becoming increasingly pronounced, I feel there are limits to what can be achieved by a business confined to the Japanese market. In order to seize opportunities for business growth, I believe we need to have an eye on overseas markets going forward as well.
— In terms of mindset rather than skills, what kind of person would you like to work with going forward?
I sense that many people in younger generations struggle to feel hopeful about the future. But even so, I want to work with people who have the spirit to improve things step by step and create change on their own terms.
Our company name, “Metamorphose,” was chosen to embody the idea that both our clients and we ourselves are always in the process of changing. I want to work with people who, just like the name suggests, are always aspiring to keep changing themselves.
— What kinds of skills can someone develop by joining Metamorphose?
Of course, project management skills — but also skills in DX promotion, which is a very hot topic right now. By being involved from the strategy formulation stage of DX initiatives, people can accumulate experience from the upstream end of a project.
A Career in the IT Industry and the Path to Independence
— Could you tell us about your career background?
I started my career in the life insurance industry, working in individual sales before transferring internally to the information systems department. There I spent about ten years interacting with external IT vendors and business divisions, gaining management experience. It is this experience that forms the foundation of our current business. I subsequently moved to a boutique consulting firm, where I built experience as a consultant. Alongside that work, I obtained my Certified Management Consultant qualification, which expanded the range of clients I could support. My career followed a path of bringing my information systems management experience to bear while also developing expertise in consulting.
— Was there something that prompted the move to the information systems department?
I had always been studying information processing, so I had some prior knowledge in the area. When an internal posting for the information systems department came up, I applied — that was the trigger.
— You then moved to a boutique firm. What prompted you to consider making that move?
At the time, seniority-based advancement was still deeply entrenched. Compared with other companies, it was an environment where junior employees had relatively little autonomy, and I started to feel a sense of stagnation. I also heard a comment from someone at an external IT vendor we were working with: “You might consider giving your team members a bit more autonomy.” That made me start to wonder how I was being seen from the outside. I began to feel anxious about whether, if I were to leave the company, I could manage work on my own skills alone — and that is what led me to think about making a move.
— What kind of consulting did you handle at the boutique firm?
The same as our current business — IT consulting and consulting in the information systems field. After building about five years of experience at the boutique firm, I went independent.
— Did you always have ambitions to go independent?
Having obtained the Certified Management Consultant qualification, I did have the desire to go independent. When I thought about whether experience or a track record needed to come first, I felt that without a track record it would be difficult to win engagements — so I went independent with a small, gradual start.
For a while I was managing everything on my own, but I came to feel the limits of what one person could handle, and eventually hired employees — leading to the two full-time staff we have today.
Building an Environment That Aims for Business Stability and Growth
— Could you tell us again about the origin of the company name?
I named it “Metamorphose” because I felt that both clients and I myself need to keep changing constantly. Just as the name suggests, I believe the business should keep evolving as well. Remaining confined to the Japanese market could become a risk. By looking outward, I hope to accelerate our global business going forward.
At the same time, I believe that both clients and I myself need to keep acquiring new skills. With the importance of reskilling — relearning for new skill sets — growing all the time, I constantly feel that we need to keep acquiring new skills and keep changing.
— When you are consulting for clients, is the company name something you keep in mind?
We genuinely want our clients to become capable of “continuing to change on their own.” That said, rather than us taking the lead in changing them, we believe clients ultimately need to hold the conviction that they themselves must change. Our role is not to “change” clients — it is to “help clients change.” We aspire to remain an organization that generates the catalysts for change. We don’t drive the change; we create the conditions for it.
— What is your vision for the future?
I am not thinking about growing the company’s scale for its own sake. However, I do believe that to operate the business on a stable footing, it will be necessary to grow the full-time headcount to a certain degree. I want to build an environment where every member of the team can consistently and steadily keep creating the catalysts for change.
【Post-Interview Note】
“We want to be the catalyst for clients to keep changing on their own.” In Representative Director Yutani’s words, I felt I had glimpsed the very essence of consulting. True to the commitment embedded in the company name — “Metamorphose” — the sight of young employees who started with no experience thriving in global projects with English as their tool speaks volumes about the depth of the development support on offer.
For prospective applicants, the distinctive appeal is the combination of “closeness to the founder” and “a global perspective” that only a small organization can offer. Learning the upstream end of projects firsthand — from strategy formulation through to PMO support — while experiencing a direct, tangible connection between your own growth and the company’s growth, is something special. For anyone with the spirit to break through the stagnation of their current situation and improve the future on their own terms — and for those who aspire to keep updating themselves — this company will undoubtedly be a priceless place of learning, imparting skills that will serve them for life.
ConsulNext Senior Consultant
Masahito Tsukada
Metamorphose LLC — Company Information
| Company Name | Metamorphose LLC |
| Representative | Kazuo Yutani |
| Founded | May 2018 |
| Capital | ¥3,000,000 |
| Address | DF Building 10F, 2-2-8 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062 |
| Business Activities | ・Consulting on management strategy formulation, business improvement, and operational efficiency ・Project management (leading project execution, oversight of external vendors) ・Support for compliance with security guidelines (NIST, GDPR, ISO27001, etc.) ・IT solution selection and implementation support ・Research into business applications of new IT technologies (AI, etc.) ・Overseas business launch support ・Support for leveraging overseas talent |
