Along with society
CONNECT: A Collaboration of Diverse Human Resources Across Borders, Cultures, and Organizations
The Ajinomoto Group Europe & Africa Division is characterized by rich cultural and business diversity in cultures and business domains. To harness this strength, the division implements, CONNECT, an initiative that brings together diverse talent across countries and organizations. We spoke with Yuki Shinomura, Governance & HR Strategy Manager at AJINOMOTO EUROPE S.A.S., about the ideas behind CONNECT and its ongoing activities.
HR Strategy to Achieve the 2030 Roadmap
The Ajinomoto Group sets ambitious goals under the 2030 Roadmap. While each Group company develops its own strategies to achieve these goals, the Europe & Africa Division formulated a regional business direction focused on strengthening collaboration among Group companies within the region. The Europe & Africa Division launched CONNECT as one of its key initiatives under the division’s human resources strategy. CONNECT aims to create a culture where diverse members across the region naturally collaborate and generate new value together.
CONNECT: Regional Diversity That Generates Great Value
Governance & HR Strategy Manager
Yuki Shinomura
The Europe and Africa region is characterized by broad diversity in countries, languages, cultures, and business domains. As Yuki Shinomura of AJINOMOTO EUROPE explains about connecting diverse talent across the region, “Diversity can make collaboration challenging, but that same diversity creates unique value when people connect.” “The region includes 16 Group companies engaged in a wide range of businesses from sauces, seasonings, instant noodles, and frozen foods to agricultural materials and pharmaceutical intermediates. In the past, this diversity often meant that companies operated independently, and cross-organizational collaboration remained limited. CONNECT aims to overcome these barriers and encourage active collaboration beyond functions and business domains. More than 3,000 employees work across the Europe and Africa region in a variety of businesses. With such a diverse workforce, we aim to improve efficiency, solve challenges, and create new value across the organization by enabling flexible collaboration, not only among management, but also at the business and individual levels."
Diverse Approaches Toward a Shared Goal
Various approaches are implemented in the Europe and Africa region under regional HR strategy which aims to create a culture where diverse members across the region naturally collaborate and generate new value together. Yuki Shinomura compares the various approaches to this shared goal to ladders. "We set up different ladders leading to the goal in an attempt to get more people interested and involved. If there aren’t enough ladders, we can add more. If one ladder doesn’t fit, we can flexibly adjust it. Each person can choose the ladder that interests them or that feels easiest to climb. As more people climb and connect, they’ll start to see the value of collaboration, and that’s how the culture we’re aiming for will take root naturally. Among these ladders, CONNECT is the one with the broadest reach, open to all employees in the region.
CONNECT: Open to Everyone Across the Region
CONNECT started as an online conference open to all employees in the Europe and Africa region. The initiative
recognized that cross-company connections remained limited and that many employees were unfamiliar with each
other’s businesses. To address these issues, the initiative implemented a three-step process: (1) Build
understanding of each company’s business, (2) Create opportunities for collaboration and shared success (3)
Create a culture where members naturally collaborate.
CONNECT began holding online conferences in November 2024 under the first step to introduce regional business
directions and the activities of each company. The initiative welcomed a total of 800 participants over four
sessions to date (as of September 2025). In addition, Participants in leadership training deepen their
understanding of the value of collaboration and explore ways to take initiative within their own
organizations. Meetings for company presidents and HR directors also discuss how to strengthen collaboration
across organizations and build stronger regional ties.
CONNECT: Expanding Faster Than Expected and Driving New Collaboration
Yuki Shinomura explains that, although the initial plan was to implement CONNECT gradually from step (1) to step (3), the initiative now implements all three at the same time. “Many employees already felt a subconscious need for collaboration. Motivation to collaborate grew rapidly once the Europe & Africa Division, under the leadership of the general manager, clarified collaboration as a key part of the regional business direction and provided a symbolic platform through the online conference. The concept of CONNECT allowed the importance and desire to collaborate spread across the region much faster than we expected. New actions are already taking shape. For example, participants in the leadership training at S.A. AJINOMOTO OMNICHEM N.V. in Belgium realized there was still much to learn within the company. This realization led to the creation of an internal version of CONNECT, offering regular cross-organizational learning opportunities. Similar cross-organizational initiatives are now emerging throughout the region as meetings for company presidents (Regional Management MTG) share and discuss new collaboration ideas and translate them into action."
Yuki Shinomura explains, “More people with a shared commitment getting involved drives stronger action and faster progress. The next key step is to embed CONNECT more deeply, not only among managers and leaders, but among all employees. To make embed CONNECT on this level, our Regional Headquarters will work closely with company presidents and HR teams to roll out various initiatives. When a company faces a challenge that can’t be solved internally, they should reach out to their diverse colleagues across the region. Then, if a company receives useful information, they will naturally choose to share it. We aim to create this kind of flexible culture and create new value together across the entire Europe and Africa region."
December 2025