First of all, please introduce yourself.

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My name is Yuka Fujii, and I am currently in charge of new graduate recruitment branding at PwC Consulting LLC (PwC Consulting). I myself am an ICU alumnus who graduated in 2014 and majored in cultural anthropology during my studies. I was also a dormitory student, so I lived in the Keyaki Dormitory and the Kashi Dormitory.

By the way, what is Watanabe's ID?

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I am 24 because I will graduate in 2024.

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It's already been 10 years since I graduated. I still feel like a college student.

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Next, could you briefly tell us about the business activities of PwC Consulting?

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PwC Consulting has a global network in 156 countries and currently employs approximately 295,000 staff. It was originally a farm that existed in 1849, before the arrival of the Black Ships. Although it originated in London, England, it is not headquartered in the United Kingdom. Each member firm in 156 countries around the world operates independently under the PwC brand. We, the PwC Japan Group (PwC Japan), include PwC member firms and their affiliates in Japan. We help you solve problems.

Among them, PwC Consulting is a company that provides consulting services as the name suggests. What I mainly do is aim to solve the problems that companies face together, not only as an advisor, but also support clients so that they can run independently even after solving problems from the perspective of a third party. I'm here.

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Many ICU students are interested in consulting, so I'm happy to hear about it.

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Certainly, there are many ICU graduates at PwC Japan, and many staff members have been with the company for a long time. That's why I think it's a good match. That's what I value in choosing a company is to be myself. At ICU, it was an environment where I could be myself, and I really enjoyed it, so I was looking for a company with an environment where I could say what I wanted to say. I feel that, and I always think critically.

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Critical thinking is certainly ICU-like. Now, I would like to ask you about the philosophy and value of PwC Consulting.

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At PwC, our philosophy is to build trust in society and solve important problems. I think there are various interpretations of this sentence, but I feel that it is very good that it is based on "building trust in society". The part of "solving important issues" is not only consulting, but all PwC member firms are doing. I understand that in order to do that, we must first build trust. I believe that building trust means gaining the trust of our customers, not only as a company, but also as a person. This is because there are two ways of thinking about it. Whether they want to rely on us to make their big decisions depends on trust. The other is that PwC does not have a so-called visible product. People are often said to be assets. Wanting to ask this person is born from trust. Therefore, I feel that it is important to become a company that is trusted by both society and people. I like that it is based on trust.

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Earlier, you said that PwC has an environment similar to ICU.

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After all, I feel that I like the way people think and the culture. Just as I said earlier that I can be myself, I think the culture of Speak Up represents that. The company recommends that if you think you are right, you should speak up regardless of your position or age. It is true that I also speak to senior executives during my regular work. The upper management also listens first, and if it makes sense, they try to implement it. This culture, like ICU, has become a culture where your opinions are respected. Also, the culture that PwC cherishes, such as the Care culture, is based on people, so I think it creates an environment where you can be yourself.

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It's a very nice place to work.Now, let's talk about TEDxICU. You have supported TEDxICU before, so please tell us why you decided to support us again this time.

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First of all, I would like ICU students to know more about PwC. I was also impressed with the reasons for the restart of TEDxICU. When I was at ICU, I made many memories that could only be made on that campus. , it became difficult to experience the positive aspects of ICU. However, even in the midst of all this, I came up with the idea of TEDx as a solution to that difficulty, and when I heard that they had relaunched it and brought it this far, I wanted to support them.

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Thank you so much, it's encouraging to hear you say that. So what do you think TEDxICU and PwC have in common?

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This is difficult, isn't it? One thing that TEDxICU has in common is that students recognize that "this is a problem" and seek solutions. As I mentioned earlier, I think that the problem-solving process of finding the "problem" that there is little interaction with classmates and coming up with TEDxICU as a "solution" is similar to consulting. Also, what is in common with TED itself is that TED's philosophy of "spreading valuable ideas" is an organization that exists for a better society, hoping that TED will lead to a change in society. I think, so PwC is also aiming for a better society. Consulting services are sometimes used to solve social issues, but that's not all, basically our main job is to solve corporate issues. I believe that we believe that society will improve as a result of solving customers' problems, so I think that is a common point.

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I see. Certainly, there are similarities in terms of giving ideas and opportunities.

The theme of this year's TEDxICU is "Untroubled." Mr. Fujii, what have you learned from the difficulties you have faced so far? Also, how do you face and overcome difficulties?

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Actually, I took a break from work until the end of August to study at a graduate school in Italy. In the first place, I think it's unprecedented to study abroad in the middle of the corona misfortune,,,. Originally, I had passed the exam before the corona crisis, but I decided to go after some hesitation, so I decided to take on the challenge of the "COVID-19" that the world is facing, and managed to return home safely. That's one thing. Also, before I went, I thought that once I became a member of society, I would be able to do a certain amount of things, and that I would be independent, but there were so many things I couldn't do in Italy. Since my graduate school classes were in English, I traveled without being able to speak Italian. I was shocked at myself for not being able to do even the smallest things. However, from there, I feel that I was able to grow significantly while repeating the challenge of "let's try it anyway". Also, I thought studying abroad was difficult, but when I actually tried it, I was able to do it. It's been a year. To sum it up, I think you can say that it was an experience of overcoming difficulties.

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Studying abroad during the coronavirus crisis certainly seems to face many difficulties, but there are also experiences that can be gained for that reason.

Finally, please give a message to the students.

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I want you to do what you can do now. This is related to studying abroad, but COVID-19 has made me keenly aware that the "someday" of "I want to do this someday" is not something that has been promised. Two or three years ago, you may have thought that you would like to study abroad after entering university, but now it is physically difficult to go abroad. I made the decision to study abroad after realizing that what I had taken for granted was not. People around me said, "Wouldn't it be okay to wait a little longer and go when things settle down?" However, I passed the exam, and at that time Italy was in a situation where I could enter if I had a student visa even though Immigration was restricted, so I said, "I can study abroad now, and there is no promise someday, so I have to do it now." No!" I was able to turn my experience of the corona disaster into energy.

I think that there are many things that students can only do now. When you become a member of society, you have to prioritize your work, so the time you have for yourself is drastically reduced. What I can tell you is to keep thinking and keep moving forward.

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Mr. Fujii,Thank you for sharing your precious story with us today!

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thank you very much.