Meet the Team: Saori Utsunomiya

Meet Saori, the program manager of SmartCityX, one of Scrum Studio’s open innovation programs that is focused on “cities of the future.” Before joining Scrum Studio, Saori worked at the Customer Experience Division of Japan Airlines where she spearheaded the integration of data and digital technologies to enhance customer service initiatives. During COVID-19, she collaborated with a startup to successfully launch Japan Airlines’ Vaccine Passport Digital Certificate.

We sat down with Saori to gain insights into her unique role and experiences at Scrum Studio. Her passion for innovation and ability to bridge the gap between major corporations and agile startups make her a central part of the SmartCityX team.

First, let’s talk about your job at Scrum Studio. What do you do as a program manager?

As the SmartCityX program manager, I am in charge of program planning, partner sales, and overseeing the operations of the year-long program. I facilitate collaboration between partners and startups to help them achieve new business results through the program. Currently, we work with ten corporate partners along with local governments and start-ups.

When planning the program, we reverse engineer by asking ourselves, “What can we accomplish in a year?” Right now, we have bi-monthly meetings with everyone around specific themes. We also split the group into four to foster close collaboration and hold a more detailed 2-hour brainstorming session twice a month.

What are the ten corporations currently participating in the SmartCityX program?

We currently work with ten iconic Japanese companies, including Japan Airlines, Suzuki Motor Corporation, East Japan Railway Company, TV Asahi, JT, Hakuhodo, Lion, Panasonic, Japan Post, and Woven by Toyota.

Each project leader from these corporations is actively involved in the program. They are all interested in creating something new in their respective businesses. Every meet-up leads to new ideas and fresher collaborations. Instead of passively waiting for things to unfold, everyone is working proactively, which has been truly surprising to me. We also facilitate connections between these corporate partners and promising early-stage startups they might not encounter by themselves in Japan. Through these introductions, we foster interactive sessions and encourage them to explore fresher ways to collaborate, leading to beneficial partnerships.

Breaking free from the limitations of conventional business models

Why do you think corporations hesitant to embrace innovation?

Corporations, especially those involved in large-scale businesses like infrastructure, struggle to innovate with conventional methods. That’s why, at SmartCityX, we are eager to uncover novel ways to utilize existing assets. For example, Japan Post maintains a network of approximately 200,000 mailboxes throughout Japan. These mailboxes are considered infrastructure installed in urban and remote areas.

Postal workers routinely collect mail from these boxes daily or every few days. However, since the volume of mail sent via the post has declined, many mailboxes are found empty. By the numbers, 40% of the mailboxes scheduled for collection contain no mail, and the task of visiting these empty mailboxes with no mail is burdensome. We brainstormed about equipping these boxes with sensors to detect the presence or absence of mail that could be communicated to postal workers. Of course, there are other challenges to consider, such as power supply, communication, and costs.

Navigating corporate crossroads to spark versatile solutions

Equipping mailboxes with cameras and sensors also unlocks new roles for them. It could open up opportunities for new business development, such as community monitoring. In essence, one innovative system can serve multiple purposes.

Still, corporations feel trapped. I know what it’s like to be in a big company. They face barriers that existing business models alone cannot overcome. For example, in my previous role at Japan Airlines, the rise of remote work and video conferencing led to a decline in air travel. With environmental shifts, demographic changes, and currency fluctuations, we are actively working to discover ways to overcome business challenges through open innovation and collaborating with startups.

Japan Airlines, a participant in SmartCityX and my former employer, is exploring new business opportunities in the corporate market. They want to maintain relationships with people even when they are not flying, so are looking for businesses that can connect with how people move throughout cities and and their lives.

Did Japan Airlines decide to take this approach because of the pandemic?

They had been working in that direction even before the pandemic. But it has undoubtedly become a more pressing issue because of the pandemic. The industry is also under pressure to make notable changes related to decarbonization. Fuel efficiency and reforms, such as the adoption of biomass fuels, are also pressing issues.

From Japan to England and back

Before joining Japan Airlines, can you share more details about your background?

When I was seven, I moved to England with my father and settled in Surrey, a town near London. This is the same place where Harry Potter lived with his Muggle (human) relatives. It is a typical suburban neighborhood on the outskirts of London. I was told that Harry lived there because there was a safe school in the area.

During my first year, I needed help understanding the local dialect. However, by the end of my five-year stay, I had successfully adapted, made many friends, and achieved solid grades in school.

After England

When I returned to Japan, I experienced reverse culture shock. In England, actively raising one’s hand and asking questions was encouraged. But in Japan, if I kept asking questions, I was seen as a child who kept disrupting the class progress. I had difficulty adjusting to the change in classroom dynamics, which required shifting my character.

Despite attending junior high and high school in Japan, I made a concerted effort to maintain my English skills. But then, having only spent elementary school abroad, I didn’t want to lose my English speaking skills. Additionally, my spoken English was limited to the level of a child. So, I couldn’t speak English well enough for business use. Consequently, I began to self-study to refine my English skills.

Later, I also pursued my higher education at Keio University’s Faculty of Law. Following graduation, I joined Japan Airlines as a new graduate and remained with the company for seven years.

How did your time at Japan Airlines shape your professional journey?

My first year and a half at Japan Airlines was spent on a mandatory on-the-job training. I was assigned to the airport, where I learned the fundamentals of the airline by handling check-in counter duties, issuing boarding passes, and managing baggage claims for international flights to Haneda Airport. This experience gave me valuable insights into the behind-the-scenes operations that led to delivering the best travel experience to every passenger.

Building on that foundation, I spent another year in the customer relations department. Later, I transitioned to a part of the department that focused on the management of various services and experiences spanning the entire customer journey, from when the customer searches for a trip online to their final arrival home after the airplane trip.

The skills I acquired during those formative years, such as shaping business requirements through cross-functional coordination with related departments within the company, continue to prove instrumental in my work managing startup partner relationships today.

Combining Corporate strength with Startup agility

My final project at Japan Airlines was a pandemic countermeasure project. I played a pivotal role in developing the “Vaccine Certificate” and “Vaccine Passport” that we all know and used in boarding airplanes during the pandemic. In a short time, we had to create these under the complex challenges presented by the pandemic. However, we had the opportunity to work with a startup. It was then that I witnessed first-hand the agile development capabilities and skills that only a startup can provide. I realized that combining a large corporation’s power with a startup’s spontaneity can make a significant impact in a short timeframe. This realization led me to join Scrum Studio.

SmartCityX is currently in its third year of operation. I joined the company during its second year. My previous experiences have given me a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by corporations, making this role and job perfect for me.

What do you love most about your job?

It is exciting to have the opportunity to interact with ten prominent corporations at once. I’ve always believed in a dream world where diverse perspectives are required to achieve groundbreaking solutions. What I find particularly remarkable is the ability of everyone to shed their corporate affiliations and discuss freely and without bias. However, they seamlessly transition back to representing their respective companies when finalizing decisions. This dynamic creates a unique and valuable learning environment where I gain insights into the perspectives of multiple organizations.

Through the immersive connections between startups and corporations, we are witnessing the emergence of innovative solutions that can solve society’s pressing issues. Using my corporate experience, I aspire to accelerate this trend and contribute to developing groundbreaking initiatives. Stay tuned for more exciting projects emanating from SmartCityX!