Suejean Asato

Role: Principal / Business Intelligence

Office: Zurich, Switzerland

Joined Amane: 2022 (Following the merger with AVP)

Nationality: US / Swiss

Languages Spoken: English, German, Japanese and Korean

When did you know you wanted to work in the water and broader sustainability sector?

You might say that I fell into this sector by chance, but I’m glad that I did! I had moved to Switzerland from Japan, and I was learning German so I could secure a good job. One of the other students in my class had a friend who was looking for a person who could speak English, Japanese or another Asian language to help in starting up their new business. This happened to be A. Vaccani & Partner (AVP) and the role did not require fluency in German.

In this role, I was tasked with building up the business’s strategic partnership and technology transfer offering with clients across Asia. Eventually, we acquired several long-term mandates to scout and evaluate new technologies, business opportunities, and licensing opportunities for a wide range of specified areas within the sustainability, cleantech, and environmental industries. This experience help us stay up-to-date with developments in a wide range of sectors to supplement our expertise in resource recovery.

Our world’s resources are finite so within this industry, there is a constant flow of ideas, new technologies, and improvements aimed at better utilizing those resources. This keeps the work very diverse and interesting.

What do you like best about your job and why?

I love having the opportunity to work with different people from all over the world. I grew up as an American living overseas and I’ve spent most of my life living in different countries, so I’ve been fortunate to build a diverse network of friends and colleagues from all walks of life.

My role at AVP, and now Amane Advisors, allows me to tap into my experience having worked across different regions and cultures. And with eight different offices spread across the world, Amane provides the opportunity to learn from people who are from those places. Learning about different cultures is always fascinating but it’s even more interesting when you can learn about it from people who are actually from there.

I’ve enjoyed getting to know the Amane team and discovering all the little aspects that make our team diverse and unique.

What has been the biggest surprise about working at Amane Advisors?

It’s been great to see how well the team works together across borders and time zones while also building strong cultures within each office location. It is amazing that a Principal or Project Manager can be located in the Middle East, oversee Consultants in Asia, Europe, or North America (sometimes even in several locations) and despite the time differences and not being able to sit down together, the project works smoothly and clients are continuously happy.

It seems that Amane Advisors had the “art” of collaborative work mastered even before it became a necessity during COVID.

What three words would you use to describe Amane Advisors?

I would describe Amane as:

• International
• Supportive
• Friendly

What three words would your colleagues use to describe you?

I think others would describe me as:

• Friendly
• Helpful
• A Night Owl

Name something about you that most people would find surprising.

I hated researching things in school and hardly ever went to the library during my studies. If someone had told me that I would have a job as “Head of Business Intelligence” and that my role would involve conducting a large volume of research, I would never have believed it!

What are your favorite activities outside work?

Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, scuba diving, snowboarding, and reading.

I started scuba diving over 30 years ago. Before having a child, most of my travel revolved around scuba diving. I caught the bug while traveling through Australia and New Zealand and since then, I’ve have had the pleasure to scuba dive in Fiji, Galapagos Islands, Belize, Mexico, Maldives, Bonaire, Hawaii and more. I am still in search of the whale shark, which has been on my bucket list for some time now. I even planned my honeymoon around it! I am planning a trip next year to (hopefully) see one finally.

Snowboarding came into the picture after moving to Switzerland in 1992. I am a “good weather” snowboarder so if the snow is good and it’s sunny, I’m happy to be on the slopes, which is not too difficult in Switzerland!