Ep. 42 Building Revolut in Japan: where tradition meets transformation

Launching a global financial platform in Japan comes with its own set of rules.

Yoko Makiguchi, Revolut’s CEO in Japan, shares the challenges of adapting Revolut to a local customer base and the big opportunities that lie ahead.

After 30 years in finance, she talks openly about joining as the country’s CEO and what it takes to scale a fast-growing team in a demanding labour market.

In this episode, host Alex Carril and Yoko discuss:

• Why joining Revolut was Yoko’s best career decision after 30 years in the industry

• Growing a team by 10x in Japan that represents 20+ nationalities

• How the team’s diversity shapes how they work

• The difficulties that go into hiring in a challenging labour market like Japan

• Balancing career aspirations and family life, and how it’s changed over the years

• Launching Revolut in Japan in 2020 with only 5 Revoluters

• The two main opportunities for Revolut’s next phase in Japan

• How to adapt a global platform to break into a local, unique market

• Standout experiences that have shaped Yoko’s leadership strategy as a CEO

• 3 pieces of advice Yoko would give to other teammates as she reflects on her career

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