Fumiko Hayashi, a pioneer woman in Japanese business career

She is a pioneer woman in her business career in Japan. This is Fumiko Hayashi. After graduating from high school, worked for Toray, Panasonic, and Omron. After getting married, he started working as a saleswoman at Honda. There was a television series in which she was a model for a heroin saleswoman. According to the TV drama, she was the first woman in the sales department of a Honda car dealer. She didn’t even have a driver’s license. A Japanese woman worked after school, but at that time it was unusual for her to work as a sales staff at a car dealership.

In addition to the usual difficulties and efforts to sell a car, she must have experienced something thick and thin because she was a woman. When she met the customer in the office, the customer thought she was an assistant. A customer asked me when I could meet a sales representative. The customer was upset when she told the customer that she was the sales person in charge. Sometimes the customer left. She did not lose the pressure she was under and her own depression. It was still many years before she was recognized as a good saleswoman. It is interesting that those with more difficulties tend to succeed. She was such a person.

Her performance was excellent. She sold so many cars that her colleagues, mostly men, wanted advice on their sales skills. Her division has grown. She was able to rebuild a car dealer who was having trouble selling when she joined them. Said the TV drama. She moved to BMW Japan in 1987. According to sources, BMW Japan had no plans to hire anyone at the time. Fumiko called BMW Japan and said she should hire her because she can sell more cars. If this story is true, she will be the only woman so hired. She sold more than 400 cars a year. Fumiko has made BMW a major brand name in the Japanese automobile market. BMW Japan promoted her to the branch manager of the Shinjuku branch in 1993.

Volkswagen invited her to be the President and Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen Japan in 1999. She accepted the invitation and led Volkswagen Japan to become more popular in the Japanese market. In the Japanese market, where Japanese cars dominate, her achievements are noteworthy for the success of foreign car makers.

She returned to BMW Japan in 2003 as President and CEO. In an interview on a Japanese business site, Fumiko said that only team spirit can lead to business success. Fumiko became the mayor of Yokohama City.