From an Audit Firm to Recruit: Expanding the Possibilities for My Career

Evolving Audit to Keep Pace with Change and Support New Business Challenges

I currently work in the Technology Audit Group within the Internal Audit Department. As an auditor, I handle ITGC and ITAC audits for Group companies in Japan, as well as a wide range of work including information security, privacy, and environmental audits for Staffing businesses in the Netherlands, Germany, and the US.

At my previous audit firm, I specialized in ITGC and ITAC audits, working with clients across a broad range of industries, including major trading companies and manufacturers in the automotive and beverage sectors, as well as energy companies. When I joined Recruit Holdings in April 2022, I therefore started out in ITGC and ITAC audits, where I could immediately put that expertise to use.

But from there, the scope of my work expanded quickly. Even in areas where I had relatively little experience, if I raised my hand and said, “I’d like to try,” the response was often simply, “Okay, why don’t you take this one?” That gave me opportunities to broaden my experience very quickly.

Even in security audits, which I have worked on extensively since joining, the situation varies enormously depending on the business, region, and individual Group company. New themes also emerge almost every year, from responding to new regulations to areas such as cyber BCP. There is always something new to learn.

For me, one of the biggest attractions of working at Recruit Group is having so many opportunities to build on my existing strengths while continuing to challenge myself and grow. That breadth of opportunity is something I feel is particularly unique to working in an operating company like Recruit.

Through my audit work, I have many opportunities to speak with leaders and employees across the different businesses. One thing that strikes me is how many people have a real passion for the business, products, and services they work on, while also approaching things in a calm and thoughtful way.

At my previous audit firm, I worked with many different companies and departments, and it was not unusual to hear responses such as, “Even if you point that out, there’s nothing we can do about it,” or “We’re already so busy. Why are you asking us to take on even more work?” At Recruit Group, I very rarely encounter that kind of reaction.

Both management and employees tend to respond positively because they genuinely want to make the business better. When we raise an issue through an audit, the response is often, “Yes, that is a problem. Let’s improve it,” followed by real action. As an auditor, that makes the work extremely rewarding.

As a global technology company, Recruit Group is constantly dealing with sophisticated risks in areas such as AI and cybersecurity while continuing to pursue further growth and create new value. That naturally means people are highly aware of risk, and I think they often take on challenges while carrying a certain amount of uncertainty or concern.

I want to help create an environment where people can continue to take on those challenges without being held back by fear of failure. To do that, I place great importance on communicating closely with each person and enjoying the challenge alongside them. At the same time, I never want to lose sight of my responsibility as an auditor. I want to bring a high level of expertise and, when necessary, play the role of an appropriate brake.

Taking my audit expertise further, and finding a new reason to grow at Recruit

I moved to Recruit Holdings for one simple reason: I wanted to keep growing.

I studied marketing at university in the US and began my career at a foreign-affiliated IT company, where I initially planned seminars for clients. But I wanted to understand our products and clients more deeply, so I asked to move closer to development and operations. I was then assigned to a pharmaceutical company, where I joined a project implementing and operating servers and IT service management software.

While I was there, the department I was working with underwent a US-SOX audit, and I attended as the quality management manager. That was what first sparked my interest in audit. As I continued supporting audits each year, I found myself questioning whether simply preparing the documents on a prescribed list was really enough. I began studying independently and earned the CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor) qualification as well as an ISO 27001 associate auditor qualification.

I was not an IT specialist or a systems engineer, so as I thought about how I could continue developing my career, audit began to feel like an interesting path. I moved to an audit firm, where I specialized in ITGC and ITAC audits. The firm was organized by a specialist area, which gave me a strong grounding in the fundamentals of audit and allowed me to build a clear area of expertise. Over time, though, I began to feel constrained by the relatively narrow scope of that specialization. I wanted to take on audits across a much broader range of areas, which led me to Recruit Holdings, an operating company with businesses spanning multiple fields.

When I looked back on my career at the time of that move, I thought my main source of motivation was personal growth. During my interview with the department head, I heard how strongly he wanted to continue evolving the Internal Audit Department. My immediate reaction was that it sounded genuinely interesting, and like somewhere I could keep growing.

After joining, I quickly felt that Recruit has a culture that respects each person’s passion and puts real trust in what they want to pursue. Being able to say, “This is something I want to do,” and knowing that people will take that seriously is something I find very attractive.

As part of my onboarding, there was also a program where we were asked to think about the meaning and value of work for ourselves, develop an action plan, and discuss it with our manager. That gave me another opportunity to sit down with the department head and talk in depth.

Looking back over my past experiences, he asked me, “Why do you want to grow?” As I thought about that question, I realized that growth itself was not actually what motivated me. What mattered was what lay beyond it: I wanted to make things better and contribute more to my team.

At my previous company, when the workload became intense, it was easy for simply getting everything finished by the deadline to become the goal. But once your understanding of why you are doing the work changes, the way you approach each task changes too. I think it also gives you the motivation to push yourself further.

When I look around the department, I see auditors who all care deeply about the businesses they work with. Working alongside them, talking through ideas and debating different approaches, is incredibly stimulating. Their passion makes me want to contribute more myself, and I think that is what gives me the confidence to take on completely new areas without being afraid of failure.

Flexible working that supports every stage of life and career

One of the major attractions of working in the Internal Audit Department at Recruit Holdings is the flexibility in how we work. When I joined in 2022, I was living in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture because of my husband’s job. I was looking for an environment where I could continue developing as an auditor on a global stage, but many audit roles required regular office attendance or travel to audit sites, which made it difficult to find the kind of position I wanted.

At Recruit Holdings, by contrast, the Internal Audit Department operates primarily on a remote basis, and remote auditing was already well established. That meant I could work without difficulty even while living in Mishima.

Some people may worry about communication in a remote environment, but I have never felt isolated since joining. Communication with colleagues through chat and video calls is very active. Someone is always reaching out, and we naturally talk not only about work but also about everyday things, so I have always felt well connected to the team.

I gave birth in 2023 and took maternity and parental leave. Around the same time, my husband also moved back to Tokyo, and I now live there while balancing work and childcare. Even so, I have been able to continue taking on global projects just as actively as before.

Reduced working hours are available, but I chose to return full-time. Because the working environment is primarily remote and fully flexible, I have been able to keep taking on new challenges without feeling that I had to compromise my career.

While I was on maternity and childcare leave, the use of data and AI within the Internal Audit Department advanced significantly, and efforts to make audits more agile and digital accelerated. By the time I returned, the way we worked had changed dramatically.

I was surprised by just how much had changed, but at the same time I found the new challenges exciting. As the business environment continues to evolve, the way we approach audit also needs to evolve. That means we have to keep changing and evolving too.

Going forward, I want to keep embracing that change rather than fearing it, and continue taking on the challenge of creating audits that deliver even greater value.