IN A NEW SERIES OF ARTICLES, WE WILL LOOK AT THE INDIVIDUAL ROLES OF A CROSS-SECTION OF DIFFERENT FTI EMPLOYEES. FOR OUR THIRD ISSUE OF “MEET THE TEAM” WE SPEAK TO MR. LOUIS TSU.
WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
My name is Louis Tsu, I am originally from Cork in Ireland and currently live in Geneva, Switzerland.
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT POSITION IN FTI?
I am the sales manger for the Asia-Pacific region, which from FTI’s perspective is essentially focused on Japan.
WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE?
My role is centered around developing FTI’s marketplace position in Japan, which is the birthplace of optical media technology and where are all the principle global players in the optical media industry are based – this includes Mitsubishi Chemical Medience Corporation (MCM), who are the owners of Verbatim, one of FTI’s key partners in the Middle Eastern region. Japan is where vendors, producers, manufacturers, clients and other important stakeholder groups in the optical media space interact, cross-correlate and form the business basis of the optical media industry on a global basis and my job is to ensure that I have the awareness of the market developments and the relationships in place to ensure that FTI can maximize its reach and influence on the wider industry through our market penetration of Japan. Whilst my role is essentially a “sales” role, the key component to ensuring success for FTI is effective communication, and cultural awareness plays an important part in this. FTI is continuing to work hard on developing effective sales tools and greater infrastructure in Japan to promote greater market penetration, however a cultural understanding of how market dynamics work and an insight into the culture of decision making – which is very different from other global markets and tends to be dictated by market trends rather than by individuals – is central to how I conduct business for the maximum benefit of FTI.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL DAY AT FTI?
In my role, there really is no such thing as a typical day. Being based in Europe, with a central management office in the Middle East and marketplace in Japan, one of the most important aspect to my job is time-flexibility and an ability to seamlessly flip between different cultural business practices, depending on who I am dealing with. The main department I deal with in the central FTI office in Ras Al Khaimah is the Product Management department, and I often have conference calls with my colleagues to discuss latest product innovations, but also to provide feedback on market intelligence on what is happening within the crucial Japanese market. I also have many contacts in Japan that I deal with on regular basis, spread across a wide range of the different technical specializations of the optical media market. Whilst no two days are the same, every day requires me to be an effective communicator and that skill is key to my role.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN YOUR ROLE?
The main challenge I face is to position FTI on the next level with regard to market influence in Japan. I am working with the central team to get improved tools in place to assist with this objective, plus I contribute to the structural set-up of how we intend to develop our infrastructure in Japan to push FTI to higher level of market influence in Japan, which will in turn positively affect our global influence.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE TEAM YOU WORK WITH?
I have worked at FTI now for 7 years, and always remotely, and have a diverse range of experience in terms of being part of and liaising with different teams and departments within the company. One consistent feature I have observed during my tenure is that the company is quite robust in terms of its team composition and the tenure of staff – many people that I deal with have been working at FTI for longer than me and some since the company inception back in 2005, so for someone like me working in a different continent and timezone to the rest of the team, it is good to see that so many of the people I have worked with over the years are still working at FTI, which is a testament to the strong working culture which exists there to this day.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE FTI?
I am a keen musician and play the guitar and harmonica – and sometimes both together! At a recent FTI seminar in Ras Al Khaimah, myself and some colleagues had the honor of entertaining the wider team with an exhibition of our musical talents when we performed some songs at an FTI social evening. As a resident of Switzerland I take advantage of the great skiing conditions and try to ski regularly, plus I enjoy cooking, wine and spending time with my family.
