After I graduated from Brown University (an Ivy League school) in Rhode Island in the United States, I worked for 3 years in an investment management organization at the school, until I was invited to be CFO of the men’s select shop The Armoury when it was started in Hong Kong in 2010. The Armoury opened a total of 3 stores in Hong Kong and New York, and I still serve as CFO of the company while I do other projects.

Owner Mark Cho was two years older than me and we attended university together. One day when I got on the bus heading for a bowling event, he was sitting a little behind me, and we started to talk about the video game I was really into, “Warcraft Ⅲ,” and found we were kindred spirits. That meeting of destiny sparked a friendship that led to me participating in management when he started a company. He was looking for a partner he could trust, and since I was working in capital investment, it was natural for him to ask, “do you want to do this with me? ”

I was working in Hong Kong for a short time, but was unable to get used to an environment with so little nature, and consulted with Mark about going to his hometown of London. Shortly afterwards in 2015 Mark was appointed as CEO of Drake’s, where he serves as owner.

The company is like a kind of large ship. You are not going to change its direction as soon as you turn the wheel, that’s why I think my role is to carefully determine whether the ship is moving more or less in the right direction. I check whether the marketing and sales directions are correct, and am more conscious of the numbers than anyone else. I take particular care in managing people.

Our work cannot be done by just one person, and an important element of this is having an organization of people who can be trusted. Being able to see the process of a product life cycle through that kind of work is fun. It is by passing through the hands of designers, craftsmen and the sales department that products are finally finished ready to be sold in shops and on websites. Standing in the position that can pull all those parts of the process into one smooth flow might be my biggest motivation to do this kind of work.

The strong brand name recognition Drake’s has in Japan as a tie or scarf brand actually presents a difficulty in selling the company as a brand with a complete line of menswear. However, a firm foundation can capture the market and we can focus on marketing and brand image to achieve recognition in Japan as a brand with a full line of product offerings. Since I became CEO, we organized the company’s first website and marketing teams, implemented strategies suitable to the current market and proactively advanced into Asia and emerging countries.

I live on the floor above Drake’s head office building, and I don’t believe in having very many things. If I take it to the extreme, I would have no problem at all as long as I have my notebooks, pens and credit cards. If I do need to choose something, it will be functional and comfortable. Life is short, so I think it is enough to just have things that are functional and comfortable.

I came to this conclusion because I have moved a lot spending time in various countries around the world. I’ve lived in London, Ohio, Beijing, Hong Kong and several other cities. So, to the extent that it was possible, I was conscious about amassing only what is required without keeping anything extra. But I do also enjoy the relationship of using things and continuing to keep them, too.

I was first interested in Glenroyal when I saw what The Armoury was selling and I thought that looks very nice. I used to keep my pens loose and cluttering my bags, and was looking for a rugged pen case right when I happened to encounter this one. I hadn’t used a pen case since I was in elementary school, and realized once again how convenient it would be to safely bundle my writing tools in a case when I carry them around.

I also purchased a travel wallet around the same time. Until that time, I was using a nylon wallet but I wanted to upgrade (he laughs). I use this wallet all the time when I travel around the world, which I do a lot of in the course of my work. It is extremely functional because it holds cash, passports and SIM cards.

I’ve been using both the pen case and the travel wallet for at least 5 years. Not only is it simple and functional, but you can also enjoy the changes in the bridle leather over the years, and I like the pen case so much that I put it in my bag every day and carry it around. I almost never lose my pens now and I think the influence of Glenroyal is the reason that I also now buy writing instruments from quality brands like Rotring and Faber-Castell.

While I have few things I insist on keeping, what is more important to me than anything else is the time spent with my family. Actually, I started putting my good writing instruments in a functional pen case in 2016, after my son was born, because I started drawing as a hobby. I do not take pictures, so I thought it a good way to share memories. I am writing down events that have happened and thoughts I have had when I am with my wife Tina and son Milo, and I’ll leave them as manga cartoons. I put what I drew up on Instagram, and before I realized it had attracted followers, and people had begun talking about my manga, it was a surprise. Most recently, my manga was even featured on the Japanese web media Tabi Labo.

I’m influenced by Tintin and the works of Adrian Tomine (a Japanese-American manga artist), and I like clean, simple lines. I draw more often on an iPad now, but still once in a while will draw with my favourite writing instruments. Come to think of it, the fact that I sometimes use a Glenroyal pen case even on my days off is a strange coincidence, given my tendency to not carry a lot of things.