NANYANG EXECUTIVE MBA

Going Digital, Going Global: Redefining Leadership with the Nanyang Executive MBA

As technology transforms industries, it’s also rapidly reshaping what great leadership looks like. Today’s leaders face the challenge of spearheading their companies’ digital transformation while keeping diverse teams on board with change.

Kentaro Takenaka is no stranger to this challenge. He is the Head of Corporate Hedging for Asia at Convera — a B2B cross-border payments company that gives businesses worldwide a smarter way to transact overseas. With next-gen technologies shaking up the financial services industry, Kentaro saw the need to update his leadership skills.

“Convera has been in the midst of a transformation to become a fintech leader in the financial industry,” he explains. “At that time, I was Corporate Hedging Associate Director, preparing to join my organisation’s senior leadership team. Pursuing an MBA has always been on my wish list of ‘things to do’, and this seemed like the right opportunity.”

Preparing for a digital and diversified world

To help him lead effectively in today’s digital economy, Kentaro sought an Executive MBA (EMBA) programme offering a strong technological focus while providing insight into the global and Asian business landscapes. The EMBA programme at Nanyang Business School (NBS) checked both these boxes.

“Many modules in NBS’s curriculum explore the impact of new technologies,” he says. “This is something I don’t believe other programmes offer.”

Given Convera’s global footprint, Kentaro also needed a programme to give him a window into diverse cultures. NBS offered this global perspective with the right blend of East and West. “The clincher was the chance to take classes at the University of California, Berkeley, and Beijing’s Tsinghua University,” he shares. “It fosters global-mindedness in a very balanced way.”

As a senior leader, another consideration for Kentaro was flexibility in schedule. “The Nanyang EMBA is remarkably flexible, as I could opt to graduate in 13 months or over a few years.”

“Super-flexibility”: the secret to success

In a fast-changing digital age, leaders must change just as rapidly to keep up. Kentaro says his time in the Nanyang EMBA has given him the tools to become an agile leader.

“NBS taught us different types of leadership, but the most important takeaway is that my version of a leader should change depending on the organisation’s internal and external environment,” he shares.

He cited a time at Convera when his team was not delivering results, which called upon him to adopt a ‘coercive’ leadership style. “You have to decide what kind of leader you must be for a certain period. This ability is called ‘super-flexibility’, as we learned at UC Berkeley.”

Before joining Convera, Kentaro spent over a decade with a Japanese bank. “In banking, we usually had a five-year plan — but in five years, technology has advanced, and the world has changed,” he laughs.

This lesson is stands Kentaro in good stead as Convera embarks on a fintech transformation. The global organisation plans to invest millions in technology over the next few years to streamline processes and improve customer experience. Kentaro is better equipped to stay adaptive and communicate with his teams, to “keep everyone paddling in the same direction.”

A broader perspective of digital disruption

As Head of Corporate Hedging for Asia at Convera, Kentaro advises businesses on managing their foreign exchange risk. It’s a role that challenges him to connect with business owners across many industries, and he credits his EMBA experience with his success in this.

“NBS touches on technology in many modules — from blockchain to global supply chains,” he explains. “Even in traditional modules like accounting, we studied how technology is disrupting industries of all kinds.”

The diversity of his classmates factored in too. “I worked with classmates from different industries, like logistics and medicine. It was very fascinating.”

This well-rounded perspective has given Kentaro a stronger understanding of his client’s industry backgrounds and pain points. He recalls a recent meeting with a customer in the oil industry, where they had a meaningful chat about digital disruption in the oil supply chain. “The customer was delighted that we could have an open discussion,” he says.

Cultural agility in a global setting

Beyond diverse industry backgrounds, Kentaro’s role as a regional director brings him in contact with colleagues and customers of diverse cultures. This was a fresh challenge for him, as his past banking career was relatively less multicultural.

“Currently, I work with not only diverse Asian nationalities but also people from Ireland, New Zealand, America, and Europe,” he shares. “As a leader in a global environment, I have to be adaptive and understand cultural intelligence.”

Cultural intelligence is a key pillar of the Nanyang EMBA, and Kentaro says his overseas experience at UC Berkeley has shaped him as a leader. “In an all-Japanese organisation, there are less hiccups because everyone has the same background,” he reflects. “But through the programme, I learned that a diverse team can bring in new values and creativity — even if things get done slower.”

But much of Kentaro’s learning also took place outside class time. Working on group projects with coursemates from diverse cultures has given him insight into different perspectives. “This has also created enormous networking value globally,” he adds.

Leading with confidence in a changing world

Ultimately, Kentaro highlights that for senior leaders like himself, the EMBA offers the disruption to the status quo they need to tackle a changing world.

“The MBA programme you might have taken a decade ago will be different from what you learn in the Nanyang EMBA,” he advises. “This is a great opportunity for you to update your leadership skills and redefine what leadership can look like.”

About the Nanyang Executive MBA

In this rapidly changing world driven by technology, digitalisation, and sustainability, lifelong learning is key to staying ahead of the competition. The Nanyang EMBA equips business leaders with the tools and strategies to lead purposefully in the hyperconnected economy.

This part-time programme offers a career-compatible schedule allowing you to you’re your undivided attention to work and study. The programme’s duration is 13-months with the flexibility to stretch to 2 years to accommodate work demands.

Visit our website at https://bit.ly/NanyangExecMBA or download the brochure to learn more about the programme and available funding options.

Keen to learn more about the Nanyang Executive MBA? Download the Nanyang EMBA brochure.