Please tell us something about yourself?

I graduated in 1982 in Economics and joined Asahi Chemical Industry in the Foods Division. In 1999 this division was bought by Japan Tobacco (Food Division). In this position I was responsible for Sales and Marketing all over Japan. In early 2005 I was headhunted to lead the Japan Representative office of BakeMark and I joined in April 2005.

Now you represent BakeMark here in Japan , what does your company do?

BakeMark may not be so well known to the general public because we are a B to B company but when I tell Dutch people that BakeMark is part of CSM, many Dutch people know the company. CSM is a company with its roots in sugar beet. Back in 1919, CSM started up as a Dutch sugar manufacturer. CSM is now the largest supplier of bakery products worldwide CSM distributes its products in worldwide in more than 70 countries ( including Japan ) under the brand name BakeMark.

Why did you join the NCCJ and what are your expectations?

We are a global company but we should not forget our Dutch roots. We like to learn more about the Dutch way of doing business but also want to network and meet with Dutch business people here in Japan.

Why did you join a Dutch companies and what are your experiences?

I always felt very comfortable with the open, friendly and tolerant business style of my Dutch bosses. The Dutch people listen and respect the local staff’s opinion. I appreciate that very much. However  Dutch people are not easy in business. They are very strong in keeping focused on business results and cost control. That makes working for a Dutch company an on-going interesting challenge.

Takao Yamamoto was interviewed by Martin van der Linden and Hans van der Tang on September 18, 2008