Vol.20 – From Digital Marketing to Recruitment: A New Career Chapter
For today’s Meet the Team article, we spoke to one of our junior colleagues, Miyako Kuroiwa, who joined us in July 2025 as a Recruitment Consultant. After moving to the UK in 2021, Miyako continued her career in digital marketing, before making a pivot to recruitment when she joined Centre People last year.
You have a background in digital marketing in Japan and the UK; how did you get started in recruitment?
“When I left my previous role, I was thinking about my life and what I wanted to do for the next step in my career. I had experienced job hunting in Japan, the UK, and when I lived in Australia for a year, so I considered the recruitment industry so I could help people in the same position. I registered with Centre People (CPA) and found everyone to be really kind and helpful so I thought it would be a good place.
The company philosophy of “Make Everyone Involved Happy” was very simple and understandable, and it’s important as it applies to the people that work here too.”
Why did you first move to London?
“It’s very simple really, as it was just after covid and the UK was just opening, so I decided to come here. I was in Australia for one year and I really loved it – mainly the weather. But I came to London as it’s the biggest city in the UK with good job opportunities.”
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
“I wouldn’t exactly call myself a traveller, but I do like travelling! In December I went to Iceland to see the Northern Lights and we got lucky, as we could see them at around 7pm, and it was amazing!”
“Recently, I’ve been exploring different cuisines. I follow a simple formula; travel to a different country, experience their cuisines, and replicate in my kitchen. So far, I have successfully recreated curry, tapas, and paella!”
What was the biggest surprise to you when you started working at CPA?
“When I moved to the UK, I worked at a British company which was a very big shock – They’re very skills focused, so everyone comes in with skills already. Compared to the experience, Centre People focusses more on training and developing my skills, as this is a new industry for me. The trainers were very kind and dedicated so much time to me, which felt very different.”
What is the most important thing or skill you’ve learned?
“I think emotional intelligence is the biggest thing. The digital marketing industry is very data focussed, so we can understand company’s needs and pain points, but we don’t see the people’s problems. In this industry and in this company, we need to know about people’s backgrounds and emotional needs – for both the client and the candidates.”
You’ve recently joined the Digital / IT Team, what’s your feeling on this?
“On one side, I can transfer my digital marketing background to the team, so I’m very comfortable doing this. On the pure IT technical side however, this is kind of new to me. So it’s a mix of both, I feel able to contribute to the team, but also, I have a lot to learn!”
How do you want to develop yourself going forward?
“I want to develop my core recruitment skills further, so I can make a bigger impact on the business. Also, I would like to enhance my emotional intelligence skills to understand the specific needs of the business and the client, as it’s something I never had to think about before. These are the main things I want to improve on.”
We’re lucky to have Miyako on our team! Despite her short tenure so far, she already feels like a long-term member of the company, and we look forward to seeing her grow in the future. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn and follow us to meet more of our fantastic consultants!
