On April 1, Nomura welcomed 350 new joiners at a ceremony in Tokyo. This year, we used generative AI inn several ways to show new joiners Nomura’s culture of taking on challenges and make the ceremony more enjoyable. One feature was the use of AI-generated images of founder Tokushichi Nomura and Group CEO Kentaro Okuda to welcome the new joiners. Here are some highlights from the day.
After registration, new joiners were greeted by a large monitor with founder Tokushichi Nomura and Group CEO Kentaro Okuda, welcoming them to Nomura’s milestone 101st year.
As the new joiners walked by the monitor, sensors were activated and the two men waved and smiled at them. Before the ceremony started, our Group CEO also walked by the screen and watched with interest as the two figures moved side by side.
The ceremony began with a short video featuring welcome messages from colleagues at our offices around the world. The messages highlighted the global reach of Nomura Group, which has more than 28,000 employees representing around 90 nationalities.
The next video looked back at Nomura’s 100-year history. Set to a modern arrangement of our company song, it showed founder Tokushichi Nomura watching over employees at work and ended with a scene where he shakes hands with Group CEO Kentaro Okuda. The videos showed Nomura’s focus on new technologies and AI, as well as our ongoing commitment to taking on new challenges.
In his welcome address, Group CEO Kentaro Okuda spoke about the three S’s he values most: skill, speed, and spirit. He also shared two key messages: what should be avoided is not failure but failing to try, and the opposite of success is not failure, but doing nothing. He encouraged the new employees to identify the expectations that only they can fulfill, and to meet those expectations in their own way.
One of this year’s highlights was an employee introduction video created with generative AI. To make the video, new joiners were asked to share personal photos and answer questions about how they wanted to look and work in 10 years, including their clothing, hairstyle, and work location. Based on their responses, AI generated images of what each person might look like in 10 years.
Everyone watched closely as their photos transformed into images of their future selves, thriving in their careers. The realistic images drew comments such as, “It was refreshing to see what I might become,” and “My peers’ ambitions were inspiring.”
The Talent Management Department, which planned the ceremony, wanted to help participants picture their future selves and imagine what their working lives might look like. The goal was to build excitement as the new employees started their journey at Nomura.
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The ceremony then moved into a Q&A session with Group CEO Kentaro Okuda and Yukiko Ozaki, CHRO (Chief Human Resources Officer). Both speakers shared stories from their early working lives, including the past mistakes and what they had learned from them. The new joiners listened intently, and many took notes.
The ceremony ended with a group photo of all 350 participants, together with Group CEO Kentaro Okuda and CHRO Yukiko Ozaki. It was a memorable opportunity for new employees to take their first step as professionals, think about who they hope to become 10 years from now, and renew their determination to help shape the next 100 years at Nomura.
