Strategic Hire Fuels Growth In Japan's Satellite Market

The Challenge:

Our client had an urgent need to replace their sole sales representative in Japan, who was due to leave the business. With Japan being their largest APAC region in terms of revenue, the role was crucial for both continuity and future growth. The main challenge lay in finding someone with strong English and Japanese language skills, a rare combination that had previously hindered their hiring efforts. The client was especially focused on expanding further into government and defence accounts, making this a strategically critical hire.

Our Solution:

Prioritising urgency and precision, the recruitment team leveraged a relationship-first approach rooted in deep sector knowledge and trusted networks.

• A targeted search was conducted across existing sales professionals in the satellite and new space industries within Japan, with a focus on language capabilities, customer networks, and domain expertise.
• The team tapped into neuco’s internal network and previously placed candidates, sourcing referrals and recommendations from trusted industry professionals. Early outreach prioritised warm introductions through known contacts rather than cold sourcing.
• The team engaged openly with industry contacts, even where the fit wasn’t exact, to gather referrals and market insight. Structured screening was conducted using detailed core-skill criteria provided by the client, ensuring clarity and alignment from the outset.

The Outcome:

The successful individual was actively seeking a new opportunity aligned with his career goals. The candidate brought a precise blend of bilingual fluency, industry knowledge, and local sales expertise needed to take over the region with minimal disruption. They possessed deep sector experience combined with a strong customer network across Japan, particularly in government and defence sectors.

Being a native Japanese speaker with excellent English skills, the individual was well-equipped to navigate both internal global stakeholders and external local customers.

The hire preserved momentum in a vital sales territory while initiating a formal onboarding and training structure for future hires, a new internal process shaped by the candidate’s proactive approach to learning.