International Women’s Day: Meet some of the women driving success at TIER IV
March 8th marks International Women’s Day, a commemoration established by the United Nations in 1975 to celebrate women’s achievements and advocate for gender equality. Each year, UN Women sets a theme, and this year, it is ”Invest in women: Accelerate progress.” In honor of the occasion, we’d like to express our respect and gratitude to our female employees, who are integral to TIER IV’s development and success. Allow us to introduce you to five women making invaluable contributions to our team.
Mayu heads up human resources and general affairs, and has played a crucial role in fostering an environment where women can thrive. ”TIER IV is already a workplace where women play an active role,” she emphasized. ”Opportunities are available to those who are driven, regardless of age or gender.”
Reflecting on the contributions of female employees ahead of International Women’s Day, Mayu hailed the uniqueness and vibrancy of the women at TIER IV: ”I learn so much from them and the way they approach their work.” While acknowledging the company’s efforts with respect to gender diversity, she believes there’s room for improvement in supporting parents with young children, highlighting the fact that many fathers at TIER IV are actively involved in childcare.
Mayu also stressed the importance of embracing individual differences. ”Every human being possesses unique characteristics, and those differences are fascinating. This is also true of gender,” she remarked. ”Men and women are different, and even among women, there are huge differences among individuals. While some people are driven professionals, others may choose to prioritize full-time homemaking, and both paths are equally admirable.”
Reiko, the head of the corporate planning team, started her career as a certified public accountant, providing audits and consulting services to businesses in the manufacturing, logistics, construction, and retail sectors. Since joining TIER IV in 2020, she’s taken on various responsibilities, including managing budgets, fundraising and board operations.
While Reiko initially wasn’t aware of this year’s Women’s Day theme, she emphasized the importance of considering gender perspectives at TIER IV. ”Half of the users of autonomous vehicles will be women. Incorporating more female viewpoints will be crucial as our business expands.”
Reiko said she draws inspiration from her grandmother, who worked extremely hard in an office during an era when female employment was rare: ”When the going gets tough, I find courage by recalling memories of her.” Another significant female influence in Reiko’s life is her young daughter. Many of the people on her team have children, which she said helps as they understand the challenges of balancing work and child-rearing. ”Parenthood has been unexpectedly fulfilling. I’ve developed as a person thanks to my daughter. Despite our occasional conflicts, the day always seems to end with us laughing together.”
ICT technician Minako arrived at TIER IV via a circuitous route that included stints at an advertising agency, academic research organization and conference organizer. Responsible for overseeing the maintenance, operations, and security of the company’s computer network, Minako’s background in design uniquely positions her for the self-proclaimed role of in-house Slack ”emoji artisan.”
On this year’s International Women’s Day theme, Minako noted the significant progress that has been made in terms of gender equality since her school days. She recalled feeling confused to learn only boys had the option of studying engineering at her junior high school, while girls had to take home economics. ”I wondered why the decision had been made for me. If I’d been given the choice, I would have preferred to study engineering. I feel like circumstances and perspectives have changed significantly since then.” However, there are still too few women in STEM fields, according to Minako, and she urges everyone to ”assume responsibility for ensuring that freedom of choice in areas such as education and employment is beyond doubt.”
For women considering a career in the tech industry, Minako stressed the importance of possessing confidence, while also admitting her own ongoing journey to fully embrace this advice. She credits her arts background for making her the technician she is today. ”The design mindset I learned when I was a student is still alive within me. My teacher once told me software and art utensils are just tools. The tools are not important, it’s about what you do with them and how you express yourself,” she explained. The comment still guides the way she works today: ”I use various tools in my current job. I try to focus on what needs to be done and how I’d like to tackle the challenge.”
Find out about TIER IV’s open position for software engineers!
Junko, a member of the QA/QC team, helps to improve the quality and reliability of TIER IV’s products and services. She joined the company in 2020 as a temporary employee and has recently committed to a permanent contract. She works fully remotely as telecommuting is encouraged on her team.
While noting that the ratio of female engineers in Japan is low compared to other countries, Junko expressed hope that things will change if more female engineers emerge as role models. ”I’d like to see frameworks to nurture interest in STEM subjects, which will hopefully pave the way for more women in engineering.” Junko also advocates for widening access to the field: ”Some of my female friends who became engineers majored in non-technical subjects. I hope the belief that all engineers have to be science majors eventually disappears.”
A subject close to her heart is humanitarian aid. ”Since I was young, I’ve donated to meaningful causes and been involved in aid activities as much as possible,” she said. This passion culminated in her role as a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer, where she spent two years teaching computer literacy in a developing country. During her involvement in an infrastructure development project at the Japanese embassy in the same country, an encounter left a lasting impression. A local remarked, ”There are two things we need to survive: Water and roads.” For Junko, this served as a powerful reminder that life is not solely defined by isolated elements but rather by the connections and continuity that bind us together.
Asami, who recently joined the vehicle development team, has already built up valuable experience in the automotive industry through a dual study program in Germany that combined academic studies with work at a Tier 1 supplier.
Reflecting on the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, Asami emphasized the importance of the endeavor. ”Investing in women leads to not only a diversification of perspectives, with improved team performance and productivity, but also creates role models to inspire future female engineers,” she said.
Asami believes that boosting the advancement of women in technical fields starts with encouraging young girls’ engagement in STEM subjects from an early age. She also stressed the importance of ”guaranteeing that working women have the same opportunities for recruitment, promotion and salaries as their male counterparts.”
During her university years, Asami was involved in Formula Student, an engineering competition where teams design, build and race small formula-style cars. She worked on her team’s first autonomous racing car in her freshman year and led the powertrain subteam the following season. At TIER IV, she’s working on vehicle architecture and hardware design for autonomous buses. Looking ahead, she said she hopes to progress to a leadership role: ”I want to pave the way for more female engineers, not only at TIER IV but in the industry as a whole.”
Asami’s team is hiring!
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TIER IV is always on the lookout for passionate individuals to join our journey. If you share our vision of making autonomous driving accessible to all, get in touch.
We’re currently hiring for the following related positions:
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