INTERVIEW
#05
Commitment to Challenge and Co-creation—Becoming a Company that Everyone Knows
Daisuke Higuchi
Promotion Section II
Environmental and Real Estate Promotion Division
Environmental & Real Estate Sales Headquarters, Environmental & Real Estate Promotion Department, Promotion Section 2
From RICOH LEASING to RITRES—Our new voyage begins.
We will start this voyage with a new brand slogan—“Empower the future.”—and a new name—RITRES*. What vision of the future will our employees take with them as our front-runners in this great transformation? We invited Daisuke Higuchi of the Promotion Section II in the Environmental & Real Estate Promotion Department, Promotion Section 2 to talk about the processes behind the name change and the corporate culture that encourages people to take up new challenges.
※The change in our trading name is conditional on the approval of a motion partially amending the Articles of Association at the General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for June 29, 2026.
ーMr. Higuchi, would you begin by telling us about your present work?
involved in developing leasing business opportunities mainly in the healthcare field, as well as planning and evaluating new businesses related to real estate. I joined the company in 2007, so this is now my 18th year. For the first eight years, I worked at the Hokkaido branch, where I handled route sales and similar duties. I was then transferred to Tokyo.
When I was at university, I worked part time in a company cafeteria. During that time, I was helped by people from a leasing company. That experience sparked my interest and ultimately led me to join RICOH LEASING.
ーWhat was your role in the selection of the new company name and brand slogan?
Although the work carried significant responsibility, my excitement about the opportunity outweighed any hesitation, and I was truly honored to be chosen as a member of the team. As I participated in half day and full day workshops, I gained an appreciation of the depth and importance of the company’s history. The workshops also gave me opportunities to hear the perspectives of people in other departments, whom I don’t normally work with.
The task that left the strongest impression on me was studying other companies’ brand slogans and corporate names. Through this research, I discovered that even a single word can carry multiple layers of meaning, and that words can be crafted to create rhymes and other effects. I was amazed to learn how much time and care had gone into phrases that I’d previously never given a second thought. It was a valuable learning experience.
ーWhat was your impression of RITRES as the company’s new name?
Because the new name has a similar sound to our existing name, RICOH LEASING, it feels naturally convincing when spoken. The red brand color used in the logo also reflects RICOH’s history and embodies the ‘Spirit of Three Loves’—our commitment to growing together with both employees and customers.
I’m very attached to the RICOH brand, so of course I feel quite anxious about removing such a big name from our sign. However, I’m determined to make the name change a positive for the company. Until now, I’m not sure that even my own family and friends know what RICOH LEASING actually does. Ten years from now, though, I want us to have grown into a company that everyone recognizes. With the new company name, I hope that we can express our uniqueness more and also take up challenges in new areas of business.
ーAre there moments when you sense a connection between the new brand slogan—Empower the Future.—and your day-to-day work?
I sense that when I’m working on proposals for our in house “Mirai Creation” program, which is designed to generate new business ideas. I especially feel happy when I see junior staff in my department taking the initiative and actively putting forward their own proposals.
Of the four projects that made it to the final round of screening in the previous fiscal year, two were from our unit. In the current fiscal year as well, some of our staff have advanced to the final round, and I feel we’ve achieved some strong results. I always tell our junior staff not to just do the work they’re given, but to pursue things that interest them. There are moments when that message seems to be coming to fruition”
ーYou have an environment in which people are encouraged to take up new challenges.
“Challenge” and “co creation” are core brand values for our company, and we have a culture that encourages people to try new things even if they might fail. With the change of company name, there is the possibility of doing things we would never have considered before, and it should be even easier for us to take on new challenges.
I’ve been working with my current manager for about ten years now, and something that he said to me early on has stayed with me ever since. A problem arose, so I asked him what we should do. He got angry and told me that instead of asking what to do, I should have suggested my own solution and asked his opinion about it. He said that by simply reporting a situation affecting frontline operations and leaving the decisions to a superior, I was failing to fulfill my responsibilities as a middle manager. What he meant was that since we were working together, if there was something I wanted to do or say, I shouldn’t hold back because of our relative positions. Instead I should speak up and take on the challenge. That experience helped me grow into the person who I am today, and I now pass on the same message to my junior colleagues.
ーFinally, what is your vision for empower the future?
Our company is making a fresh start under the new name RITRES. We will never become inward looking or self satisfied. Instead we will realize our vision of empowering the future with all our stakeholders.
While showing respect for the previous generations who built this company over the past 50 years, I want to play a key role in shaping our future over the next 50 years. When the company reaches its 100th anniversary, I want to be able to say with pride that I contributed to that journey. That’s why I’m determined to do my best every day so that I never have look back feeling that I should have done more. I want everyone to see RITRES as a company full of potential, and one that continually takes up new challenges.