How ENGIE GEMS opened its Japan office in 9 months
In October 2023, GEMS opened its new Physical Power Trading office in Tokyo. Let's look behind the scenes and at lessons learned from this project.
- Article
- 13/03/2024
So, what’s the secret sauce to popping up a new office in a mere 9 months?
Varun Gujral, APAC CEO at ENGIE GEMS, reaffirms the pivotal role of a well-defined strategy. “We have gone through a detailed planning phase, where we outlined the stakeholders, key deliverables, milestones, and timelines”, he explains. The project manager played a central role in maintaining the schedule, emphasizing efficiency and consistent communication. Weekly project meetings and monthly steering committees ensured everyone remained informed (locally and in Head-Office), promptly addressing unforeseen challenges. “ One of the major enablers was our capability to deploy GEMS IT systems very efficiently under a very short timeline”, Varun Gujral declares.
The team of eight experts is working under the supervision of ENGIE Global Energy Management & Sales APAC which already provides various energy risk management and decarbonization solutions to clients. “ We had to understand and comply with local regulations”, Varun Gujral notes.
The preference for Japanese in business interactions made it essential to establish strong relationships with local agencies and overcome language challenges. Another challenge highlighted by Varun Gujral was the intricacy of hiring in the Japanese market. The smaller talent pool and the loyalty of employees to their current companies added complexity to the recruitment process. Varun Gujral mentioned the need to work diligently to attract and convince potential hires about the opportunities at ENGIE GEMS.
“ The team’s success in Japan has not only laid down a roadmap for future deployments but has also increased the recognition and confidence in GEMS BP APAC’s project team”, Varun Gujral indicates. He highlights the importance of learning from the experience and applying the knowledge gained to streamline the process for future projects, such as the launching of a new GEMS entity in India.