Making a cultural shift in his career

Des Collins was 40 years old when he left Ireland in 1997. He had been managing director of Japanese tyre company Bridgestone in Ireland for the previous seven years, and his success in running the Irish operation had been noticed in European headquarters in Brussels.

“I was already as high as I could go in Bridgestone Ireland and I decided to take on a new challenge and moved with my pregnant wife and two small children into the great unknown,” Collins says. “I had a lot of market experience and strong communication skills that set me apart in Bridgestone at the time.

“In a multinational environment where most people are working through English as a second language, an Irish person with a light accent has an advantage, even over English natives whose accents are often unintelligible to Asian executives.”

Within two years Collins was promoted to the position of vice president of sales and marketing for Europe.

"I took on this role just as Bridgestone had become the tyre supplier to Formula 1," he says. "This meant that during the summer months I spent weekends at race circuits on top of an already busy schedule that involved regular business trips to Japan and the US. It kept me away from my family more than I would have liked, but it also gave me international exposure I could never have experienced without moving abroad."

After nine years in the sales and marketing job, Collins was appointed vice-president for public relations and government affairs, a role that saw him take charge of external and internal communications, brand development, and representing the company at the EU. In 2012, however, there was a major manpower reshuffle by a new management board and, after 15 years’ service with Bridgestone, Collins’s contract was not renewed.

He subsequently joined the giant German engineering multinational Continental, as head of public affairs, in August 2012. Before doing so, he took a break to write a candid account of his time at Bridgestone and the constant challenge of walking a tightrope between often-clashing business cultures.

"Sushi and Fries is an account of two very different approaches to doing business that simply do not mix well," Collins says. "My advice to anyone leaving Ireland to join an international company is to prepare themselves for the cultural differences. Even between different Europeans, the cultural differences are important and they are much more pronounced when mixing with Asian cultures.

“To succeed overseas, a person must have or must quickly develop a good work culture. The working week for most Europeans is the same or even shorter than it is at home. However, when taking a position with a Japanese company, be prepared for a working day that regularly runs to eight at night and often well beyond. The Japanese feel that they have to make personal sacrifices to show their dedication. Staying late and not taking their full holiday entitlement is part of that.

“It is also difficult for Europeans to gain a good level of trust from their Asian bosses, who are invariably suspicious of non-Japanese,” he adds. “In practice this translates into Europeans having very little real decision-making power. A lot of energy goes into convincing an Asian boss of an idea or a course of action.

“Cultural differences actually hinder Japanese companies from succeeding in Europe, and all westerners who choose a career in a Japanese company must accept that the Japanese are in charge. No matter what level of Japanese colleague you are dealing with, he or she is part of a network from which you will always be excluded and into which you can never integrate.”

Collins says European companies are struggling to cope with a growing shortage of scientists and engineers. This opens up good opportunities for Irish graduates. “Young people from these professions have a huge choice of opportunities in Europe, and companies like Continental have programmes to attract graduates into a host of different departments.

“We are not alone in competing to attract talent, and it is projected that this shortage will continue for many years. Suitably qualified Irish people willing to go abroad can easily find opportunities and carve out a career for themselves or even just gain good experience.”

While proficiency in a European language is certainly an advantage, Collins says it is less of a barrier than might be expected. Many multinational companies (including Continental) have English as their official working language.

“When immersed in a new country, it is best to make an effort to learn the local language, but this is much easier to do when one is actually in the country,” he says.

“When I talk with Irish students, I feel reluctance among them to go abroad professionally. The idea of going to another English-speaking country for temporary work appeals, but looking at long-term opportunities in a foreign language doesn’t seem attractive to them. European countries offer a wealth of business and cultural experience. I feel privileged to have had that experience and to have raised three multilingual children. My life has undoubtedly been enriched by my international career.”