Shino Kinoshita
Japan
CAREER Enrolled in April 2013; Completed master’s degree in March 2015
I am currently involved in the design and administration of a business school at Showa Women’s University that is specifically for working women as part of a female empowerment initiative. I have also participated in a number of paid and unpaid organizations and projects in which I have helped to design new human resources development systems, new educational approaches for young people, and intergenerational networks for women. The common focus in all of these projects has been “supporting people and organizations that want to take on new challenges.” I am often involved in projects in different domains that run in parallel, which provide me with a bird’s eye view of where the general issues lie. I truly enjoy my current style of work and the opportunity it gives me to think seriously about how I can contribute.
Before joining KMD, I was involved in HR development consulting for large companies. At KMD, I was able to learn with people of different ages, nationalities, and genders, and was inspired by professors who were, themselves, practitioners. It broadened my horizons dramatically beyond what I had done before; it taught me that it is vital to forge links between different domains and how to act and learn in ways that have an impact on this new era. KMD taught me my current approach to life and work. The pace of change in today’s environment is only accelerating. I am in my late 40s, and one of the things I learned at KMD is that, regardless of age, the key to survival in the 21st century is continuing to learn and then continually putting that learning into practice.
(This article was written in March 2016.)