Faces of HR: How Kazuhiro Aoyama and Irene Goh are making people the foundation of business growth

For SATO’s global L&D leaders, sustainable business growth starts by helping people grow: as individuals, colleagues, and contributors to a shared purpose.

What comes first: building business capability or building people? For Kazuhiro Aoyama and Irene Goh (both pictured above), the answer is clear: start with the people.

Aoyama is Group Leader, Learning & Development Group, Global HR at SATO Corporation, where he is responsible for training 3,900 employees across 75 locations outside Japan. Goh is in Talent Development, Global HR at SATO Global Business Services, co-leading global learning and development strategies and initiatives for the same international workforce.

Guided by SATO’s long-standing belief in “Building People, Building Business,” they see learning as more than developing skills or completing courses. It is about helping employees take ownership of their growth, support one another and put learning into meaningful action.

For Aoyama, being trusted as a person and respected as a manager provides the basis for sustained growth and business success. Meanwhile, Goh sees continuous learning as a shared responsibility, one that calls on people to embrace change, develop themselves and build capabilities that create value for customers and the organisation.

Speaking with Emily Chong-Gupta, Aoyama and Goh unpack how SATO is building a global learning culture rooted in ownership, shared growth, and business impact.

Q Which L&D principle has most influenced how you help others or yourself learn best?

Aoyama: 

SATO has a long-standing motto: "Building People, Building Business." This principle has had the greatest influence on how I approach learning & development. Before teaching business skills, we believe it is important to develop people as individuals. Being trusted as a person and respected as a manager creates the foundation for sustainable growth and business success.

This way of thinking may reflect the traditions of Japanese companies, where long-term employment has been common. The idea that we grow the business by first developing people continues to shape how I support learning and talent development today.

Goh:

The L&D principle that has influenced me most is SATO's Credo, which encourages every employee to take ownership of continuous learning, embrace change positively, and strive for self-development. It reminds me that learning is not just about acquiring knowledge but about growing as individuals, supporting one another, and turning learning into meaningful action.

Guided by this mindset, I focus on creating a culture where colleagues learn together, apply what they have learned in their daily work, and continuously build the capabilities that drive customer value, business success, and sustainable growth.

Q Who has been a mentor or coach to you personally, and what is a timeless lesson they taught you?

Aoyama:

My mentor was the HR Director who transferred into the HR department at almost the same time I did. He originally came from the business side of the organisation and was assigned to HR to broaden his experience and prepare for future leadership roles. He later became the head of the HR function.

What surprised me most was that he was the same age as I was. He did not come into HR with extensive expertise, but he worked incredibly hard to learn the profession, quickly building the knowledge and skills needed to succeed.

Goh:

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to learn from several mentors, each of whom reinforced the values embodied in SATO's Mission and Credo. One lesson has stayed with me: 'Support the growth of SATO by creating value through people.' That perspective transformed how I view Learning & Development.

"It taught me that our role is not simply to deliver training, but to inspire continuous learning, encourage ownership, and develop people who can adapt, innovate, and contribute to the business."

This aligns closely with SATO's Credo, which reminds us to strive for self-development, embrace change positively, and work together with integrity. It is a timeless lesson that continues to guide how I develop both myself and others.

Q What is an unexpected or interesting skill you have picked up that colleagues may not know about?

Aoyama:

The most important lesson he taught me was the value of taking steady steps forward, one step at a time. Rather than looking for shortcuts or choosing the easiest path, he demonstrated the importance of consistently following the right path, even when it takes longer. He taught this lesson not through words alone, but through his actions. It remains a guiding principle in both my work and my approach to learning today.

Goh:

An unexpected skill I have developed is the ability to translate business priorities into meaningful learning experiences. Colleagues may know me as an L&D professional, but what they may not realise is that I naturally look at every learning initiative through the lens of SATO's Mission and Credo.

Rather than asking what training we should deliver, I ask how we can help our people build the capabilities, mindset and confidence to create greater value for our customers and the business.

This perspective has enabled me to bridge learning with business strategy, foster collaboration across cultures, and encourage a learning culture where continuous improvement is everyone's responsibility — not just HR's.

Q In fewer than 10 words, what is your number one motto for helping people and teams grow?

Goh:

Learn together. Grow together. Create value together.

Q A quick preview of your session at Learning & Development Asia: What is the one key takeaway you hope attendees will gain?

Aoyama:

No shortcuts. Learn, repeat, and progress steadily.

"Building an LMS is something almost any organisation can achieve with enough time and investment. The real challenge is not the technology itself, but how to increase employee learning engagement and help people take ownership of their own development."

In my session, I will share how a Japanese company, where English is not the common language, has worked to engage employees, foster a learning culture, and build a global learning environment. My hope is that attendees will leave with a deeper understanding that the goal is not simply to implement a learning system, but to create a culture where learning becomes part of everyday work.

Goh:

I hope attendees leave with one clear message: learning is not about completing courses — it is about creating a culture where people continuously learn, take ownership of their development, and apply what they learn to create value. Guided by SATO's Mission and Credo, we have learned that when people grow together, they build stronger capabilities, strengthen the business, and create lasting value for customers and society.

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Photos / Provided