Growing up, Natsune Nomura dreamed of becoming a professional dancer. Although her career goals have changed over time, her lifelong passion for dance continues today in the form of salsa dancing. Now, as fate would have it, she's also proud to call herself a ByteDancer in her role as Country Sales Manager for Lark in Japan.
Prior to joining ByteDance, Natsune had over 15 years of experience working for several of the world's largest consulting and technology companies. Given her unique personal and professional background, we were excited to talk with her about her work in sales at ByteDance and how her past experiences have shaped her time at the company.
Tell us about yourself and what you do at ByteDance.
"My first job was managing government accounts at a major IT company, which opened my eyes to all the ways in which technology could improve Japanese society. I then spent time leading regional development initiatives in Bulgaria, followed by stints in consulting and cloud computing. The fact that I've done so many different things really helps me in my current role leading corporate direct sales in Japan for Lark (ByteDance's integrated SaaS collaboration tool), because I can understand the needs of clients in a wide range of industries and can take on numerous responsibilities outside of sales, which is required as part of our small team.
Outside of work, I'm passionate about wine, bouldering, and kimonos. I've also been an avid dancer since I was young, which has exposed me to some unforgettable experiences!"
Speaking of dancing, has it taught you anything that has been helpful for your career?
"Dance does not rely on language and instead communicates through movement, which is why I love partner dance and all the cues involved between two people. This kind of nonverbal communication has also been helpful for me at work, since it's absolutely essential to understand the emotions and spirit of my team behind certain projects.
In connecting dance with work, I've always viewed my career as an integral part of my life because work is something that takes up a large portion of my time. So, it's crucial to me that my work bring joy to people and have a positive impact on society in some way. This is why ByteDance's global mission to 'inspire creativity and enrich life' resonated with me right away. My current work with Lark could also make a real difference in promoting a more flexible work culture in Japan by allowing organizations to work more efficiently and productively on a large scale."
How would you describe the experience of working in sales as a woman?
"Given my experiences in tech and consulting firms, it's true that there are fewer women in these industries in Japan. I also read a recent survey that showed we have a lot to improve in order to foster a truly welcoming working environment for women in Japan, and I'm hoping we can create more space for women to realize their own potential. However, I've never personally experienced gender discrimination, as I've been fortunate enough to work for companies that have a culture of inclusion and a firm commitment to diversity.
This is one of the reasons I'm most proud to be a ByteDancer, since one of our six core values is to 'Champion Diversity & Inclusion' and the company has made major efforts to uphold it. I'm also proud of the fact that the platform I work on -- which is an integrated collaboration service -- is already contributing somewhat to closing the gender gap by changing the way people work and promoting open communication."
What do you think is only possible at ByteDance?
"ByteDance is unique in that we strive to create new value and accomplish big things, but we never shy away from giving freedom and ownership to each employee. It's great for a large company to have this kind of fast-growing start up mentality. ByteDancers really embrace that the company is growing rapidly and teams are fresh, so the possibilities for development are endless! It's been truly exciting to work for such a fast-growing company that is always aiming for the highest, and to contribute to a team whose top priority is to enrich the lives of our users."
