Staff Dialogue
GHIT's Diverse Culture
A Decade of History and Diverse Approaches to Work

Urabe: This year marks the 8th year since I joined GHIT in April 2016. Having experienced the 10th anniversary of GHIT, I now feel that we have grown both as an organization and as a team.

The Investment for Impact team that I oversee is responsible for evaluating product development projects, which stand at the core of GHIT, searching for new innovations, supporting investment decisions, managing progress and developing access and implementation strategies. Prior to joining GHIT, I worked in the Silicon Valley in cutting-edge fields such as autonomous driving technology, biofuels, and life sciences. However, I sometimes felt a gap between “cutting-edge knowledge and technology” and “socially implementing the solutions required to meet the needs on the ground.” Ever since I was a child, I have felt a desire to contribute to global health by supporting low- and middle-countries. For these reasons, I decided to join GHIT as I am able to work on both dimensions simultaneously. Through my activities, I feel that I am living according to my ideals, although I still have some ways to go in my journey.

Koyama: I work in the Partnership Development, Investment for Impact department, which involves supporting the early stages of R&D, forming new partnerships, and inviting organizations to become new product development partners. Our department's role is to connect partners and communicate with various stakeholders.

I joined GHIT in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, I worked at a trading company specialized in chemicals, where I mainly supported the importation and development of APIs for generic drugs. I also previously worked at a Japanese bio-venture company, where I supported development of biopharmaceuticals. I was attending a GHIT event when I was fascinated by the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium using Japanese technology of orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) to help children take their medicine. I later joined GHIT wanting to reconcile Japanese domestic technologies with international applications.

Shibata: I recently joined GHIT in September 2023. For about 10 years prior to that, I worked at an airport management company, where I collaborated with other international airports and was seconded to an international organization to plan and manage international events and conferences.

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked my interest in health. Large airports see tens of thousands of people take off and depart on their journeys every day, and contribute to their encounters and movements. However, the aviation industry took a huge hit during the pandemic, which in turn majorly impacted my professional identity. In other words, I was somewhat shocked to realize that if people’s health is at risk, airports remain limited in their ability to bring people together, regardless of the capability of their infrastructure. I began to consider working to improve people's health, and I eventually joined GHIT. Currently, as the person in charge of external affairs and corporate development, I am responsible for fund-raising and managing board meetings, among other duties.

Urabe: At the time of its establishment, it was important for GHIT, a Japan-based international public-private partnership, to achieve recognition. Success could be measured by sound investment or grant-related decisions leading to the advancement of R&D projects. However, by the 8th and 9th year, we had made steady progress in the product development stage. We thus transitioned to a stage where we are not only making investments, but also seamlessly promoting the projects we had invested in through clinical trials and regulatory approvals, and concentrated on how to deliver the products to patients in need. We increased the size of the team in charge of access and delivery and both my team and the organization have grown significantly over the past 10 years.

The number of R&D projects and the cumulative total of investment are both increasing steadily as well, and so are the responsibilities of each member, along with their job satisfaction. I am convinced that GHIT has been able to operate for 10 years because all employees share the same passion and vision.

Koyama: I feel a sense of accomplishment when I see past investments finally lead to results. At GHIT, one of the requirements to apply to our investment program is that Japanese partners and non-Japanese partners jointly conduct R&D. We set this condition because we want to combine the strengths of Japanese and overseas organizations to develop drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines (products) through open innovation. Of course, Japanese researchers may hit a wall if they want to apply for GHIT's investment program but cannot find a suitable overseas partner.

My job is to connect Japanese and non-Japanese organizations. Partners may take two to three years to apply to GHIT, and researchers sometimes reapply multiple times with new partnerships. I find my work most rewarding when these projects are finally selected by GHIT.

Shibata: I have only been with GHIT for a short time, and the board meeting and GHIT 10th anniversary dinner were held soon after my joining. This was my first time managing a GHIT conference or event, so I prepared carefully alongside my more experienced teammates. I believe that the board meeting went smoothly because of our careful attention to details during the preparations. The 10th anniversary dinner was another major event attended by important stakeholders. I experienced a great sense of accomplishment after its successful conclusion and felt humbled by the support of our many stakeholders.

Urabe: GHIT is still only in its 10th year and is operating with a small team of highly skilled employees. At the time of its founding, none of GHIT’s employees were parents. As the GHIT grew in size and recruited staffs with children, achieving a balance between work and family has sometimes proved difficult. On these occasions, it was important to concentrate and increase productivity to make the most of one’s limited time, build a relationship of trust with supervisors, and get both supervisors and teammates to understand one’s personal work style. Many of my teammates have children and we share our situations and help each other to ensure the job gets done, and I think this can be only accomplished with an established culture of trust.

Koyama: I gave birth two years ago and returned to work after taking maternity and childcare leave. Since my husband is busy with work, it is my role to drop off and pick up my child, so I was unsure whether I would be able to work full time. Luckily I was encouraged by other “mothers” returning and being able to work full-time, thanks to our organization understanding flexible working styles.

Urabe: GHIT has a full flextime system in place to allow employees to work flexibly. For example, remote meetings with Europe often take place in the evening, and in those cases, we sometimes leave work an hour earlier than usual.

Shibata: My wife also works full time, so I often take our children to and from daycare. I have to finish work at 5pm to pick up my children so I work under the full flextime system. If my children have a fever and require care, I may work from home, and it's reassuring to know that my supervisor and teammates understand.

Urabe: We also have several foreign nationals working at GHIT. This results in a culture of diverse values conducive to the emergence of new ideas. We work in diverse and flexible environments in terms of work locations and time differences, so we share information by staying in close contact.

Koyama: The personal time system is also very helpful. During their first year at daycare, my child often had a fever, so I had to use a lot of paid vacation time. This system can also be used for regular hospital visits.

*Personal time: Employees are allowed to take up to three hours off a week for personal time during working hours.

Urabe: These systems are predicated on responsibility and performance. It’s important for employees to manage themselves so they can reliably produce the expected results. Needless to say, we must use our limited time efficiently while building a relationship of trust and communicating with teammates and supervisors.

Shibata: I am still passionate about the aviation industry. GHIT's vision is to eliminate neglected infectious diseases that affect over a billion people with the aim of achieving health equity. By carrying out my current duties, I will support the achievement of this vision and help more people stay healthy and safe, enabling them to use airports to travel to their favorite places and meet their loved ones. I hope to be able to contribute to the actualization of such a world, even modestly.

Koyama: The degree of awareness around "neglected diseases" still remains low. In order to reach researchers and many other people who don't know about GHIT, I would like to start with organizing in-person meetings and sharing the greatness of Japanese technology with the world.

Urabe: I have set my own personal principles based on three pillars: “Connecting laboratory to society,” “Connecting Japan and Overseas,” and “Connecting LICs/LMICs and HICs.” I hope to be able to create paths for Japan to contribute significantly. I am fortunate that my current responsibilities encompass these three pillars, and I wish to always think outside the box, discover new technologies and explore new approaches.

From a management standpoint, I want GHIT employees to enjoy an experience that ultimately brings them as close to their career vision as possible. My goal is to support my fellow teammates in their acquisition of the skills necessary to achieve their dreams for the future. Part of my vision is to support their visions.