In this Professional Series, we delve into the exceptional talents at PayPay Group. This time, we spoke with Kunimatsu from the Financial Business Promotion Department of the Financial Business Promotion Division about his reasons for joining PayPay and memorable projects as a PMO.
Kunimatsu Watanabe
Finance Business Promotion Department, Finance Business Promotion Division, Finance Business Group
After graduating from university, he joined a major credit company. He initially worked in sales for the installment business and later moved to the overseas business department, where he was involved in management control and planning for overseas subsidiaries. He joined PayPay in 2022, where he serves as a PMO in the Financial Business Promotion Division, acting as a liaison between PayPay and PayPay Card.
Pursuing Independence and Speed, Started as a PMO from Scratch
Please tell us about your career history.
After graduating from university, I joined a major credit company. At the time, the prevalence of credit cards was not sufficient, and I had a strong desire to contribute to their development. I was involved in the installment business and shopping loans.
What led you to join PayPay?
I was looking for an environment where I could gain autonomy and speed in work. I thought about going independent or changing jobs in a different industry. However, a former colleague active at PayPay told me about the expansion of the financial business within the company and suggested that I would be an ideal fit to spearhead new initiatives. This piqued my interest in joining PayPay.
Having observed PayPay’s rapid growth, I had the impression that the company was likely to continue expanding and had a variety of strategic options. My colleague introduced me to an opportunity to engage with people at PayPay, where I learned about the autonomy, and the reality of speed, making me feel that it was a suitable company for me.
Please describe your current role and mission.
As a PMO in the Financial Business Promotion Department, I am responsible for managing progress and tasks of financial-related projects involving not only PayPay but also PayPay Group and SoftBank Group companies. The primary mission is to create new financial services and payment experiences through collaboration between PayPay and PayPay Card. To maximize group synergy, I also hold a concurrent secondment position with PayPay Card, where I have been involved in initiatives such as the launch of PayPay Card Gold.
Overcoming Challenges with Meticulous Communication, a Skill Honed in Sales
Are there any projects that left a lasting impression on you?
The most memorable project was the introduction of multi-card issuance for PayPay Card. It was my first experience as a PMO manager from the planning stage onward. The project’s scope and number of stakeholders, affecting not only PayPay and PayPay Card but also group companies like SoftBank and LY, required comprehensive progress management involving external partners. PayPay Card originally operated under a single-card issuance system, necessitating a major overhaul of the core system with the involvement of nearly all company departments.
For this extensive project, it was crucial to take ownership of every move. Initially, we struggled with finalizing requirements and release deadlines, complicating schedule management. A particularly challenging task was developing shopping cart functionalities on group company e-commerce sites to accommodate multiple cards. Beginning discussions months before the release, while ensuring safety and meeting legal requirements, required data integration with external parties, resulting in various opinions from group companies.
A supervisor advised, “If decisions aren’t made, take the initiative to make them yourself,” underscoring the importance of ownership in projects. I began attending meetings with representatives from group companies and PayPay’s legal team to swiftly grasp situations and proactively propose improvements.
During meetings when harsh criticisms arose, I ensured a positive atmosphere, made individual follow-ups through direct messages post-meeting, maintaining diligent attention to details. Having learned the value of proactive communication and relationship-building in my sales days, I implemented the same as a PMO. I interacted with hundreds of members on the project’s Slack channel at least once, ensuring smooth progress. Ultimately, the multi-card shopping cart functionality was successfully implemented, and we were able to notify users through group companies.
What was your experience with the service release?
Witnessing the wide-scale release of services I contributed to as a PMO was immeasurably rewarding. We surpassed our initial target issuance numbers, received numerous applications via PayPay, and contributed to generating group synergies.
Furthermore, the positive user feedback such as “I’ve been waiting for the multi-card issuance” and commendations from PayPay Card’s management like “the most peaceful feature release day in PayPay Card’s history” were gratifying. Knowing that I am capable of impacting the experience of over 60 million PayPay users, while collaborating with user-first, knowledgeable group companies, reinforced the fulfillment derived from working as a PMO at PayPay, which ultimately brought smiles to users’ faces.
Could you share how you felt you grew through the project?
I mastered the approaches necessary for smooth project management, including schedule management and communication methods as a PMO. Before this project, I had limited PMO experience and developed skills by participating as a sub-responsible person in other projects or attending meetings with my supervisor, learning through observation. Starting with no knowledge of product terms, I asked PayPay and PayPay Card’s PdMs about everything I didn’t understand. By displaying an eagerness to catch up, I found myself surrounded by a helpful environment where many were willing to teach.
A Company Embodying the “5 senses” Philosophy
How would you describe the atmosphere of your team?
The Financial Business Promotion Department comprises many members from banks and card companies. Although they share a financial background, their areas of expertise differ. Therefore, we frequently share knowledge across specializations on platforms such as Slack. The team is also characterized by its close-knit nature; we sometimes go for drinks after work and even visit each other’s homes.
What are your future goals and vision?
While focusing on collaborations between PayPay and PayPay Card, PayPay Securities, PayPay Bank, and various SoftBank Group companies, I aim to create innovative services providing valuable products to users. Specifically, I wish to reconstruct services individually held by group companies to create a world where tasks can be completed with a single app or action. Additionally, I aim to enhance my skills as a PMO, particularly by deepening product understanding to improve the quality of project contributions.
Please share a message for the readers!
At PayPay, we have a corporate culture centered around the “PayPay 5 senses” ideology, which emphasizes speed, a spirit of challenge, and professional self-awareness. I feel this truly embodies a company that brings these five senses to life. Instead of solely focusing on specialized knowledge or past experiences, the mindset towards work is paramount, and those who work with ownership for the users can thrive. It’s a rewarding company where one’s work can change society, inviting new challenges. We welcome those eager to take on such challenges.
Current job openings
Business level Japanese is required for all the following positions below.
*Job openings and employee affiliations are current as of the time of the interview.