KPMG LLP KPMG’s JP KNOW Helps Japanese Women Working in the U.S.
K
PMG LLP’s Japanese Practice employs some 300 professionals in the United States, with more than half of them women. Since these professionals work in a culturally diverse environment, with varying approaches to women in the workplace, the Big Four accounting firm has created an internal organization to address the issues faced by many Japanese women working in the United States. The Japanese Practice’s KPMG Network of Women, or JP KNOW, is an offshoot of KPMG’s Network of Women (KNOW), a firm-wide initiative designed to help women to connect with their peers, meet mentors and share career experiences. “We felt that the women professionals working for the Japanese Practice are in a slightly unique position in the firm in that they have to work bi-culturally,” said Yuki Tobinaga, associate director of marketing for the Japanese Practice. “I think that most people know that gender relations are a little different in a U.S. business environment than in a Japanese one.” The idea for JP KNOW came about during a partner meeting the firm held in 2005. KPMG’s Women’s Advisory Board gave a presentation about the firm’s initiatives to create a more compelling work environment for women. They noted that the firm’s two-year-old KNOW program was growing, with local networks being set up in KPMG offices around the country. Three Japanese Practice partners—Michiko Yano of Mountain View, Yasuko Metcalf of Chicago and Masako Carpenter of Los Angeles—realized that the Japanese Practice would benefit from a KNOW organization specifically for its members, to provide them the opportunity to meet other women in similar situations.
“We just thought that, even though people within the Japanese Practice would also be a part of the KNOW network in their individual offices, it would be appropriate to have a network specifically for the Japanese Practice as well,” Yano said. KPMG’s Japanese Practice is a group of professionals in the U.S. firm, located in various offices across the country, who provide tax, audit and advisory services primarily to U.S. companies that are subsidiaries of larger Japanese corporations. The practice has been in existence since 1973. Roughly 80 percent of the professionals in the Japanese Practice are native Japanese. In addition to common backgrounds from having lived in Japan or with Japanese families, members of the Japanese Practice share the unique experiences and concerns of working with Japanese clients. But their knowledge of the American culture and business environment varies widely. Of the women in the practice, some have been in the United States since they were children, while others came to the U.S. after college. The objectives of JP KNOW align with those of the broader KNOW organization: to provide a forum for women to network, foster mentoring relationships, further professional development opportunities, support work-life balance and highlight career opportunities. However, while the KNOW chapters are organized at the local, office level, JP KNOW is a national association. To accomplish its objectives, JP KNOW hosts lunches, dinners and team-building activities throughout the year in various venues. For example, senior partners regularly host dinners to meet and mentor younger staffers. Yano also noted that the men of the Japanese Practice are invited to events as well. “We feel that a lot of the issues that the women face, the men face as well,” she said. “Also, it’s really important, even if they don’t share the issues, for them to understand them so they can support their colleagues or support their spouses.”
PDJ
64
P RO F I L E S I N D I V E R S I T Y J O U R N A L
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007