Vol.12 – 13 Years of Commitment as the Backbone of Centre People
Today we met with the 13-year veteran of Centre People, Kumiko Tozawa, for a slightly different view of life at CPA. Since 2012, Kumiko has been the backbone of our company, delivering fantastic sales support and administration, working hard behind the scenes to ensure the success of all our consultants.
How did you get started at Centre People Appointments back in 2012?
“Similar to other members, I registered at Centre People and managed to get a job here! Before, when I was in Japan, I worked for a language school, and was in charge of managing and overseeing schools in the Tohoku area. Then I was transferred to Bangkok, responsible for opening the second branch school. Having that experience working with multinational people, I thought I could use this skill at Centre People when I moved to the UK. The language school was also selling a service, so I felt there’s a kind of similarity there.”
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Any hobbies you enjoy?
“Every Saturday I take my children to Japanese school called ‘Hoshuko’, and one of them started Taiko drumming. They offer it to adults, so I started practicing it too, this is what I enjoy doing. It’s a really energetic feeling, like I’m gaining energy. I’m very much a beginner though!”
What about you do you think our readers would be surprised by?
“After starting here in 2012 and until covid – so about 8 years – I had been travelling to the office every day from East Kent, which took about 2 hours each way. Everyone was very surprised by it. My commute is now 1 hour and a half, and even though it’s just 30 minutes difference, it feels very different now, I have much more free time with my family.”
What has been a highlight of your career at Centre People?
“It’s a general thing, but seeing the company grow a lot. The support function has gotten bigger, and now I’m working as the Supervisor. So that’s probably the highlight, although there are new challenges that come with it.”
What are the biggest challenges you face in sales support?
“On a daily basis, every day has its challenges especially in such a busy environment. To understand what the priority is in each moment, is the key I believe. Now because the team and company are becoming bigger, it’s important to have communication to know who is doing what.”
What’s the biggest change you’ve seen at CPA in the last 13 years?
“Definitely covid. The team working mindset became a lot stronger, and now we can work from home in a hybrid style, so work-life balance is much better than before. It was a tough time, but it did bring good change.”
And finally, what do you like most about working at Centre People?
“I think as Centre People was a small company, it had a family atmosphere. As the company has grown, the atmosphere has changed a little, but the original feeling of being part of the Centre People family is still there, and that’s something I really like. We joined the Quick Group, and their philosophy of “Make Everyone Involved Happy”, is such as good company motto I feel, as it shows respect to the employees, and the company can grow in a healthy way.”
We’re lucky to have Kumiko supporting us behind the scenes, we’re not sure what we would do without her! Feel free to connect with Kumiko here on LinkedIn, and follow us to meet more of our fantastic consultants!
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