Julie.
Mitsushige Tsuruno.
Here is a slightly rushed translation of the relevant part of the column. Most of the column discusses the high level of PR professionalism of Toyota's initial response to the crisis and the severe constraints on the company's subsequent statements. But then Mr. Tsuruno turns to the matter of Julie's future prospects with Toyota.
(The source Japanese is appended below. Mr. Tsuruno has written more, I hope to translate tomorrow.)[update: it turned out not to be interesting enough to translate...so forget it. If someone makes a nice donation I might change my mind.]
(The source Japanese is appended below. Mr. Tsuruno has written more, I hope to translate tomorrow.)[update: it turned out not to be interesting enough to translate...so forget it. If someone makes a nice donation I might change my mind.]
"4. The Managing Director is out in any event--
At the press conference, Toyota ably conveyed the message that it somehow hopes to protect Ms. Hamp. Even though Mr. Toyoda expressed his belief that Ms. Hamp 'had no intention to break the law,' unfortunately, Ms. Hamp will be out of a job.
If for some reason Ms. Hamp had a health issue that caused her to use oxycodone in the US as an analgesic, and if she were an ordinary foreigner who knew little and was not aware of Japanese law, she would have had an excuse.
However, she is the top of global public relations of a global company.
If someone works in public relations a few years, even as a non-manager, and they do not acquire an awareness of legal risks, they are not considered suitable to the nature of this work. Even more, she is regarded as an excellent person by Toyota's president, with a strong awareness. Most especially, when handling a drug to which addiction has become a social problem in the U.S., it is unreasonable to think that she did not know that a proper procedure was necessary.
If going through the procedure to legally import the drug was cumbersome, she will be out because of compliance aspects.
Of course she will be out if she intended to smuggle. She will be out if she is addicted.
Even if she had no intent to break the law, from the point of view of the lack of risk awareness, in any event, she is completely out as a public relations officer.
If Toyota wants to appear as its ideal, a "truly global company," I want them to decide on a way to handle that by formulating a consistent policy without any fuzziness. It has been noted that the company's "face," the top PR officer, the first woman elevated to the position of a Toyota officer, will probably end up leaving Toyota.
At that time, I want to call on the company, by all means, to decide its appointments as per "the right person in the right place" regardless of nationality or gender, and to not cease growing toward becoming "a truly global company."
４．いずれにしても常務はアウトです
会見の様子から、トヨタが何とかハンプ氏を守りたいと考えていることはよく伝わってきましたが、たとえトヨタの声明通り「ハンプ氏に法を犯す意図がなかった」としても、残念ながらハンプ氏はアウトです。
ハンプ氏が、仮に健康上の何らかの理由で、米国では鎮痛剤として普及するオキシコドンを使っていたとします。
法律知識や意識に乏しい、ごく一般の外国人であれば、日本国内では所持に手続きが必要だと知らなかった、という言い訳はあるでしょう。
しかし、彼女はグローバル企業のグローバル広報のトップです。
広報を数年やれば、責任者でなくともリーガルリスクや必要な手続きに意識が及ばないことは、仕事の性質上、考えられません。
ましてや、トヨタの社長が当事者意識が強いと評する優秀な人物です。米国でさえ中毒が社会問題化されているという薬物の扱いについて、手続きが必要だと知らなかったと考える方が無理があります。
手続きが面倒だったとするなら、コンプライアンス面でアウト。
もちろん、密輸の意図有りでも、中毒でもアウトです。
法を犯す意識が仮になかったと言えたとしても、リスク意識の欠如という観点から、いずれにしても、広報の責任者としては完全にアウトなのです。
もし、トヨタがこの先も「真のグローバル企業」としてあるべき姿を示すとするならば、ぜひブレずに一貫した方針で対応を決めてもらいたい。
注目され、持ち上げられたトヨタ初の女性役員で広報トップという会社の顔は、おそらくトヨタを去っていくことになるでしょう。
その際には、ぜひこの先も国籍性別を問わずに「適材適所」の観点から登用を決めること、そして、「真のグローバル企業」に向けた成長を止めないことをはっきりと発信してもらいたいと思います。