Panasonic Connect’s partnership with GLOBIS through the Internship Program

For many traditional Japanese companies, taking the initiatives towards globalization can feel a bit challenging. But for Hisao Sasai, working in the Global Solutions at Panasonic Connect and a proud GLOBIS alum, that step has sparked a really exciting cultural shift within his team.

Integrating Global MBA Perspectives

Hisao’s department needed more global perspectives to better support their international subsidiaries. By reaching out to the GLOBIS network, he found that MBA interns bring a unique mix of logical thinking and open communication that helps bridge the gap between technical engineering and real-world business planning. He also mentioned that the partnership makes things much easier for HR by simplifying the visa and housing process.

Intern Spotlight: Bridging Tech and Business

One of the standouts of this program was an intern named Rachata Pianpucktr—known to the community as Prime. With an engineering background and a fresh MBA perspective, Prime’s impact was felt almost immediately. During the first half of his internship, he dived into software development, proposing new ideas that really impressed the development group. Later on, he shifted gears to focus on business use cases for AI agents, using his MBA training to make sure his technical work aligned with the company’s bigger goals.

Professional Growth and Personal Mission

For Prime, the experience was all about growth. He admitted that switching from a “student mindset” back into a professional one took some work, and he had to learn how to navigate a new workplace communication style. However, seeing the company’s strategy through an MBA lens helped him understand his purpose there. It even helped him refine his kokorozashi —his personal mission to find better ways of working within the DevOps and cloud infrastructure fields.

Enhancing Team Culture and Communication

The benefits went both ways. The team started a “one-hour daily communication” habit for cultural exchange, which ended up being a great way for Japanese staff to practice speaking English in a relaxed setting. While Hisao acknowledges that legacy “Japanese-only” systems can still be a hurdle, he’s confident that modern AI tools and a more diverse workforce are the way forward.

Advice for Future Global Partnerships

Hisao’s advice for other companies is simple: the first step is the hardest, but the advantages are totally worth it. And for students, Prime suggests being brave—ask tons of questions and don’t worry about looking “dumb,” because everyone is there to support you. With a new non-Japanese CEO coming on board next year, this partnership is just the beginning of a very global future for Panasonic Connect.

Join our eventsAll events

Seminar

Geopolitics for Business: Strategy Lessons from Japan

March 10 (Tuesday), 20:00

Online

Dr. Andrew Staples shares Japan’s blueprint for navigating global geopolitics and building business resilience.