Masafumi Saki

SMU welcomed its 15th overseas alumni chapter and the 12th in Asia in Japan on 28 January 2022. Get to know Founding President Masafumi Saki (MBA 2016) as he shares with us the chapter's goals of building community and contributing to the university's internationalisation efforts.
 

I am a CRM/SFA specialist who is responsible for cultivating and promoting a data-driven culture within the company through two portfolios, CRM Strategist and Product Manager.    

In my role as a strategist, I develop CRM strategies and solution roadmaps to help business units make better use of data to drive customer engagement. As a product manager, I lead sales force automation (SFA) projects covering IoT and develop recommendation systems that provide sales representatives with data-driven insights. 

What do you like most about your career?

I graduated from the MBA Class of 2016. In addition to enabling my academic achievements and career advancement, my time at SMU has been an important milestone in my life, a time for personal growth and development.

Due to the many opportunities to engage in intellectually stimulating conversations inside and outside the classroom, I was able to broaden my horizons and gain a better understanding of the world from a variety of perspectives throughout my MBA programme. My experience at SMU led me to pursue a career as a digital specialist, and equipped me with digital knowledge and skillsets to make an impact on business.

As a result of the extensive knowledge gained and methodical approaches learned  from working on case studies and group projects, I have become better prepared for success in any situation. By developing strategic agility in the face of disruption, I have also been able to make faster and more informed decisions, while managing multiple projects and driving innovative initiatives for my clients and colleagues. 

What hopes do you have as the founding President of the SMU Japan Alumni Chapter?

The SMU Japan Alumni Chapter is volunteer-driven, and I am happy to have like-minded alumni with me in the Executive Committee. Each of us share the same aspiration: to build a sustainable community where SMU alumni in Japan, regardless of backgrounds and perspectives, are welcome to interact, expand their network with like-minded professionals and be collectively involved in the university’s internationalisation efforts. I hope to create a more engaged alumni community in Japan, and enable alumni to be strong ambassadors of SMU. 

Tell us about the Chapter's upcoming plans. 

Prior to the Chapter’s official launch, the SMU alumni community in Japan has been meeting for ad-hoc gatherings and meals. Hence, one of our immediate plans is to understand our members’ needs and set up a more structured programme, be it online or in-person, for our members to forge new connections and network with each other. 

We also plan to organise an annual reunion party, but details are not available yet. Apart from working closely with the SMU Office of Alumni Relations, we will also reach out to other SMU alumni currently working or living in Japan, to join us as event volunteers. If you are reading this, I welcome you to get connected with the Chapter via LinkedIn.

Share your views on the importance of overseas alumni chapters.

Overseas alumni chapters are an essential part of any university’s internationalisation efforts. Besides offering networking opportunities, fostering connections, and building meaningful relationships between alumni, overseas alumni chapters offer insights into countries, regions, and cultures that would otherwise be difficult for a university to access on its own.  

SMU overseas alumni chapters and future ones have a responsibility to support the university in building communities and strengthening connections among alumni across the globe.

If someone were to consider studying at SMU, what would you tell him/her? 

SMU is well-known as a specialised university that regularly updates its curriculum to ensure its graduates stay industry-relevant and equipped to make a difference in whatever fields they choose to pursue.   

Establish your career goals first. I am convinced that having a clear end goal in mind will help you select the right programme in such a way that regardless of the challenges, you will enjoy the journey and gain a transformational experience as I did at SMU.