Imogen Bishop found herself at a turning point. The international business student was in her penultimate year of studies, yet she had no international experience.
"I had never left Australia. I had never gained international exposure crucial to working in international business. I chose an International Business degree because I wanted to work internationally," Imogen recounts.
The then Queensland University of Technology (QUT) student set her sights on a New Colombo Plan (NCP) scholarship, which she had first learned about through QUT's International Programs office, and offered a path towards attaining international business skills.
A successful application for an NCP scholarship presented Imogen with an opportunity to undertake 3 internships during her program. Those internships laid the foundation for her business career.
Imogen now lives and works in Tokyo with Kirin Holdings – bringing an Australian perspective to the multinational company.
While her pursuit to attain global expertise led to her role at Kirin Holdings, Imogen attributes her career growth to her studies and internships through her NCP scholarship.
During her program, Imogen moved to Japan to participate in the 2024 NCP Mitsubishi Group Internship Program. This internship provided her with a front-row seat to Japanese business culture and innovation and exposed her to ongoing business engagement between Australia and Japan.
"I realised that a lot of Japanese companies have strong ties to Australia. A lot of companies are moving into resource-heavy global expansion plans, and to do that they need diversity, diversity of thought and diversity of experience," she reflects.
Imogen used her time during the internship to develop networks with Mitsubishi Group companies. One such company was Kirin Holdings, which at the time was not offering formal internship opportunities to international students. Imogen expressed her interest in gaining experience with Kirin Holdings, noting the company stood out to her because of its "strong ties to Australia and exciting global ambitions".
Takuto Nezu, a representative of Kirin Holdings, says that the organisation created an internship program for international students after reflecting on the conversation with Imogen. "Imogen's enthusiasm and willingness to actively engage in shaping such an opportunity for herself stood out for me," he adds. Imogen was hired as the first international intern at Kirin after a competitive recruitment process.
Ten months after the completion of her internship, Imogen was hired as a full-time employee, working in the health science and corporate strategy department at Kirin Holdings. She is a liaison between the organisation's business partners in Australia and the Indo-Pacific.
Imogen's Japanese language training during her scholarship enabled her to build trust in her current role, especially as a non–Japanese employee.
"The inability to speak fluent Japanese is a barrier but I have a solid foundation and the ideal environment to improve my language skills because of the language learning opportunities received during my NCP experience," reflects Imogen.
Kirin Holdings views such internships as a mutual benefit to the organisation and the participating students.
"NCP participants have brought diverse perspectives. Their insights, particularly regarding products and consumer behaviour in Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific region, were highly refreshing. Through engaging with them, we have gained insight into how we can grow together with talent from different cultural backgrounds," Takuto says.
"We are genuinely delighted that Australian students like Imogen choose to start careers in Japan," Takuto notes. "Working in Japan allows Australians to experience both the similarities and the contrasts, and to create new value that transcends these differences."
Imogen's internships, undertaken through the NCP, played a central role in her career development in Japan. "Working in international teams and global environments during my internships…taught me cross cultural communication skills, which is crucial to succeeding in my current role," Imogen says.
Imogen's career progress is a testament to the value of regional collaboration and signifies the role of the NCP in developing professional links that strengthen partnerships between Australia and the region.
