'5 Questions' with Stephanie Roberts, Chief Communications Officer, Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems

An expat in Tokyo, Stephanie shares how life in Japan is further shaping her approach to leadership and global communications. Communication, at its core, is about understanding different cultures, people, and work styles. For many expats, working outside their home market heightens that awareness, naturally shaping how they lead and communicate.

Q1. What has Tokyo taught you about life?

To be more patient and to appreciate the quiet. You’re in a metropolitan area of more than 37 million people, but on the morning train, it’s silent. There’s a level of respect and social order here that’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, so it rarely feels like that many people. I’ll also never forget the first time I saw a young child walking to school alone, completely safe and trusted by the community. It was a massive wake-up call. It taught me that there are many ways to see the world, and more people should step out of their bubbles. It also showed me that a society built on trust operates in a totally different way. 

Q2. What is one non-negotiable habit or skill that every aspiring communicator aiming to lead global communications must develop, in your view?

You have to stay curious. Period. Our industry and society move too fast to ever think you’ve arrived. For me, curiosity is what keeps fear from driving decisions. It’s why moving to Japan was an easy yes for me. While some people might have looked at the cultural gap and been intimidated or found a reason to say no, I wanted to know how it worked and what it was like. If you aren't reading, learning, and asking why every single day, you’re going to get left behind.

Q3. As a leader, how do you manage the pressure of decisions?

I run every single day in parks here in Tokyo. It’s my time to move fast and clear the stress and noise. But when it comes to the office, I’ve had to learn to slow down. Coming from the United States, I was used to the move-fast-and-break-things pace. In Japan, you build consensus and gather many opinions first, so the process takes much longer. It was a big adjustment, but I’ve realized that the slow start can sometimes save you from the fast mistakes.

Q4. The landscape has changed significantly today. If you were to go back to college, what would you choose to study and why?

If I were still going down the communications path, I’d brush up on Psychology. We spend a lot of time on the how and the where but the only thing that really matters is the why. Understanding what actually drives human behaviour and belief is one of the most powerful tools a communicator can have, especially now when the world feels so fragmented. But secretly, if I were to do it all over again, I would probably consider becoming a pilot or a dentist.

Q5. Many people say books shape them, while others believe experience does. 

You need both, but experience gets you closer. It’s like my trip to New Zealand over the holidays. I could read a dozen books about the North and South Islands and have a good sense of what they’re like, but it’s a different thing entirely to stand there, speak with people from the Māori community, and feel the scale of the landscapes in person.

Books give you the vocabulary, but Tokyo gave me the intuition. You can read about culture, but you don’t really understand it until you’ve lived it.