Kazu had always wanted to work for

ADB and is grateful for the

opportunity to fulfill his college

dream while taking part in helping

the people of the region.

Kazumitsu Okada is a Risk Management Specialist at the Office of Risk Management

(ORM) where he manages transactions in the field of project financing, with financial

institutions and private equities, and together with a team performs portfolio analysis. Kazu

was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan and while he was a volunteer tour guide in his

hometown, he had aspired to someday be engaged in international work for the world

peace. This aspiration became stronger when he backpacked when in college and visited

several countries in Asia and witnessed poverty and how this especially affected children.

He first learned about ADB during freshman year in college when friends shared interest in

joining the organization after graduation. Although he has dreamed of joining ADB early in

his professional career, he felt he needed more relevant experience. He then gained more

experience through this work at JBIC, IFC, Merrill Lynch and Barclays.

The opportunity to learn more about ADB came when he attended a JICA-organized

seminar on Bhutan where a joint ADB-WBG Career Fair in Tokyo was advertised. Kazu

signed up for the career fair and was impressed by ADB’s relief efforts in Tacloban,

Philippines due to damages caused by typhoon Haiyan. It was also around this time when

he applied for the position he currently holds in ORM, and ADB took the chance to

interview him during the mission.

Kazu is happy to be in ADB to contribute to its development work and help improve

people’s lives. Through this, he is able to achieve three goals: contribute to development,

help affect change in Asia and pursue a career in a financial institution. He is also happy to

be in the Philippines, in the company of warm people, and in a country that is fast

developing.

To learn more about ADB Recruitment Outreach Mission in Tokyo this June, visit

http://www.adb.org/news/events/adb-recruitment-outreach-mission

Japan Recruitment Outreach Mission: Success Story