Episode 15

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Published on:

15th Nov 2022

The art of storytelling in finance with Nina Michels-Kim, Institute of Management Accountants

The windy road to work in Japan has been a long one for today’s very special guest. Nina Michels-Kim is the Director of Partnerships, Korea and Japan for the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). She’s bilingual in Japanese and English, born in Japan having been raised by a Japanese mother and an American father, and received her college education in the United States. However, her dream was always to come back to work in Japan and so with that goal in sight, her extensive career in finance began which has led her from bookkeeper to working for two of Switzerland's biggest pharmaceuticals to starting her own business and now as the Partnerships Director of Korea and Japan for IMA.

Nina’s career path has not been linear but throughout, her passion for learning and continuous development in finance has brought her one step closer to Japan and the goal she set more than 25 years ago. As a member of the IMA, having developed the Swiss and European chapters, she’s now bringing the benefits of the IMA to Japan and aiding finance professionals to upskill, learn, develop and become the finance leaders of the future.

In this episode you will hear:

  • The IMA’s predicted six megatrends for the finance sector
  • Some of the challenges that financial professionals are facing and why upskilling is important
  • The value of the IMA and how it can help finance professionals to future-proof themselves and their careers
  • Why soft skills are just as important as hard skills and how the IMA supports this
  • What courses and resources are available through the IMA including how to tell a story with strategic insights and data

Nina Michels-Kim Bio:

I help finance professionals all over the world to enhance their skills, provide them with ethics guidance and thought leadership, become valued leaders in their organizations, and improve the world step by step!

Alongside my own business, Starling GmbH, I am also the Director of Partnerships Japan and Korea for IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants). IMA is one of the largest and most respected worldwide associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Its global reach includes over 140,000+ members of financial professionals in business in over 150 countries.

About the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA)

Established in 1919 (over 100 years ago), IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) is a global, non-profit professional association that administers the globally recognized U.S. CMA (Certified Management Accountant) certification program, which is celebrating its 50-year anniversary this year. IMA has a global network of about 140,000 members worldwide and more than 300 student and professional chapters. Its members are mostly accountants, financial professionals, and management accountants who work in business. IMA supports the CFO’s team by striving to be the leading resource for training, developing, certifying, connecting, and supporting them.

Connect with Nina Michels-Kim:

Website: https://www.imanet.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninamichelskim/?originalSubdomain=ch

Twitter: @NinaMichelsKim

Email: nmichelskim@imanet.org

Links of things mentioned in this episode:

Best Practices in a Hybrid Workplace webinar

Six mega trends for accountants

Ambassador for Finance Professionals by Nina Michels-Kim

Special Omiyage for listeners

For those companies who are still unsure of committing to the IMA Finance Academy, we now have a three-month free trial opportunity! Individual clients of FocusCore can try out, become an IMA member for six months for free (an extra three months!), and use the IMA free resources. What is the best part is that using this six-month opportunity, you can sign up for the CMA Entrance program so get a six months savings/benefit to the standard IMA membership fee.

To access the link and take advantage of the Three Month Trial for FocusCore members please click here Three-Month Trial Membership (imaonlinestore.com)

Connect with David Sweet:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focuscorejp/

Website: https://www.japan.focuscoregroup.com/


"Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher Davis-Shannon. To find out more, check out www.thetinman.co and check out his new album, FIFTY​/​50. https://music.cdavisshannon.com/album/fifty-50-2

Mentioned in this episode:

Find out more about salaries, the job market, hiring and what's important to both companies and individuals looking for a job specifically in Japan.

2025 Salary Guide

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About the Podcast

The FocusCore Podcast
Meet interesting and inspiring and entertaining people who show why Japan is a unique, fulfilling and sometimes frustrating place to do business.
We will discuss how to hire, train and retain talent. How to create values that motivate, and review best practices that have worked and attempts that have failed. David will be speaking to company presidents, CEOs, CFOs, HR professionals, coaches, consultants as well as sharing with you some of my own experiences and opinions discovered over the years in this great country.
The focus is simple: To explore how to succeed in business in Japan.

About your host

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David Sweet