A.N. (Accounting Manager): Joined in 2020. Handles everything from daily accounting operations to strengthening systems for IPO preparation.

M.N. (Legal & IP Manager): Joined in 2018. Oversees all legal affairs, including contracts, intellectual property, and risk compliance.

H.F. (HR Manager): Joined in 2019. Manages the entire HR domain, including recruitment, labor relations, and development, as well as a portion of general affairs.

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The administrative division has supported the company since its founding days, when neither satellites nor solution services had yet taken shape, solidifying the organization’s “defenses” as the business grew. We interviewed three managers who lead the Accounting, Legal, and HR departments. They discussed everything from episodes of the founding era and the struggles during the organization’s rapid growth to the type of person who can thrive at Synspective.

Interviewer (PR): Thank you all for being here today. To begin, please introduce yourselves and tell us about your current roles.

A.N. (Accounting): My team is responsible for consolidating daily accounting operations, as well as managing monthly and annual financial closings, and coordinating with auditing firms and tax accountants. Before going public, I led the strengthening of our accounting system, with IPO as the primary goal, which included preparing external disclosure documents and establishing internal controls. Currently, with two team members, we work hard daily while expanding our scope to include tasks such as financial closing and adapting to new accounting standards.

M.N. (Legal): The primary focus of legal affairs is contract work. Synspective has a unique business model, handling everything from satellite manufacturing to data sales, which makes our contracts extremely complex. There are aspects of a manufacturing business and aspects of a data sales business. My primary role is to create and negotiate contracts tailored to this specialized business. Additionally, I handle patent applications and trademark registrations as part of our IP strategy, as well as enhancing internal risk management and compliance systems.

H.F. (HR): Our team’s mission is to contribute to the organization’s growth and culture-building from the people side. Specifically, I manage HR-related tasks, including recruitment, labor relations, training, evaluation, and improving engagement. I also oversee a part of the general affairs area. Currently, while supporting each HR member in achieving their goals, I’m also working on systematizing our operations and tackling the various challenges that arise daily.

Interviewer (PR): You all joined the company when it was still a small team of just a few to a dozen people. Now it has grown into an organization of over 200. Please tell us what it was like back then.

M.N. (Legal): When I joined, there were only four or five of us, and it felt like everyone was driven by the CEO’s ideas and his passion to “make things happen.” Ideas came one after another, presenting a challenge for the administrative division to organize, but the team was full of energy. There was a powerful mindset of using our expertise to move the company forward.

A.N. (Accounting): I joined in April 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was escalating, and everything except the final interview was conducted online. I was bewildered when I arrived at the office on my first day and had to set up my PC myself. At first, I rarely met my colleagues in person, and it was a strange feeling, like working in a virtual world. However, this company had built its systems on the premise of being able to work anytime, anywhere, so it was amazing that we could transition smoothly to remote work even as the world was in chaos.

H.F. (HR): In my time, there were about 30 of us, crammed into a small shared office in Ginza. Back then, the HR function was primarily focused on hiring and payroll; there was no onboarding system in place. When someone new joined, it was like, “Here’s a PC, now you’re on your own!” From there, we realized, “We really do need onboarding,” and we built the systems piece by piece as a team. Because there was nothing, there was a joy in creating it all ourselves.

Interviewer (PR): So, the organization grew significantly from that chaotic situation. What do you feel was the most significant change in that process?

A.N. (Accounting): I would say ” we established solid rules .” In the past, for better or worse, it was a free-for-all where people did things their own way. However, as the company grew, and especially as we began considering an IPO, proper documentation was required for everything.

M.N. (Legal): I agree. Especially in the legal and IP fields, it was a considerable task to reorganize contracts and licenses into a format that could be explained to third parties. Clearing up potential issues for IPO review one by one, such as handling of patents born from joint research with universities during our founding period, was a gratifying challenge.

H.F. (HR): It was the same for HR. When we introduced time tracking rules, which had been flexible up to that point, there were some confused voices. “Why do we have to be managed now when we could work freely before?” However, this is standard practice for a publicly listed company. I put my heart into carefully explaining each point and helping them understand that it was a necessary step for the company to grow.

Interviewer (PR): So the major goal of the IPO became a catalyst for maturing the organization.

M.N. (Legal): That’s right. Once IPO preparations began, the common goal for our administrative departments became clearer, and we united across departments to achieve it. We were all desperately searching for or creating documents, saying things like “This document is missing!” or “Where are the minutes from that meeting!?” It was tough, but it was precisely during that period that we laid the foundation for the strong organization we have today.

Interviewer (PR): In an ever-changing environment, what do you do to cultivate team atmosphere and manage your teams?

A.N. (Accounting): The accounting team has a separate Slack channel for casual chat, in addition to our business communication channel. We share small, everyday things there. For regular meetings, I have team members share discussion points in writing beforehand. By organizing their thoughts into premises, main points, reasoning, and their opinions, it also serves as training to develop the logical thinking needed when explaining things to other departments.

M.N. (Legal): I once proposed a meeting to strengthen the horizontal collaboration among the managers. Having a place to share the troubles each team was facing, and sometimes to encourage each other, made me realize, “I’m not the only one struggling,” which was a great relief. Within my team, I’m the type who prefers to communicate closely. However, some members prefer a more business-like relationship, so I am always conscious of that balance. But at the core is mutual respect. That’s why a relationship where we can express our opinions frankly is important.

H.F. (HR): In the HR team, we set aside time for discussions where each member considers  higher-level purposes, such as “What is our role?” and “What kind of HR team do we aim to be?” Now that the organization’s foundation has solidified after the IPO, we are moving to the next stage. By deriving individual goals from that higher purpose, we help them understand how their daily work connects to company growth. As the HR team, we aim to take on the role of driving organizational change as change agents, proactively advancing transformation within the company and its structures. As a first step toward this goal, we are collectively working to articulate the organization’s challenges and potential solutions.

Interviewer (PR): Finally, based on your experiences, please share a message with those who might become your future colleagues. What kind of person do you think can succeed at Synspective?

A.N. (Accounting): Someone who can take a higher-level perspective to see the big picture and act flexibly. It’s essential to adopt an attitude that considers not only your scope of work but also its impact on other departments and the company as a whole. Also, someone who can try things and learn while running projects.

M.N. (Legal): Flexibility is really important, and an upbeat personality. Honestly, there are many tough things and complex challenges. Someone with the mentality to not get discouraged and switch to “Alright, what’s next!” will surely enjoy working here. And most importantly, respect is key. A relationship where both the administrative and business departments can respect each other’s expertise is what makes the entire company stronger.

H.F. (HR): Someone with a desire to grow and learn. IT tools are constantly being updated, and the company’s phase will also change, so an attitude of always keeping up is essential. And someone who can engage those around them. People who can imagine how their work will impact the next person in the process and communicate thoughtfully are the ones who will ultimately achieve great results. It’s someone who can pass the ball in a way that’s easy for the other person to catch, rather than just throwing it.