ABeam Consulting

Akiko Marusawa

With 25 years of experience in global HR leadership, Akiko Marusawa, the Director of Human Resources at ABeam Consulting, has redefined HR as a strategic discipline that shapes talent, strengthens culture, and guides organizations toward sustained performance.

Her career can be thought of as a simple 3D framework with three axes—geography, industry, and organizational position— spanning headquarters, regional hubs, and country entities. By intentionally focusing on these dimensions, she ensures well-rounded development and decisions that honor local realities while advancing enterprise-wide goals.

At ABeam Consulting, Akiko currently leads HR outside Japan’s domestic market, strengthening operating models and talent practices across multiple regions. This role connects ABeam with organizations of diverse sizes, locations, and maturity levels, translating enterprise standards into locally resonant execution while feeding market insight back into global decision-making.

Looking at the Bigger Picture

Akiko’s main leadership principle is purpose. While aligning the workforce with organizational goals remains a key component, she also considers how the company’s actions impact society as a whole, including employees, their families, and future generations. This structured vision paves the way for a genuinely engaged workforce that can propel ABeam Consulting to new heights while also shaping its future endeavors and human connections.

“I believe engaged employees drive more than just organizational success. They build the enduring relationships that secure our future, Akiko says."

At the Forefront of Digital Transformation

Akiko firmly believes that digital transformation is an imperative for organizational vitality in today’s HR sector. Adopting new digital tools and innovations has the capability to change how the entire industry functions in the future. To welcome this paradigm shift, companies need to be prepared with new strategies, an advanced digital infrastructure and above all, a well-trained team of employees.

At ABeam Consulting, she has been instrumental in keeping the company ready with platforms that help employees develop both soft and hard skills, fostering collective growth and confidence in real-life situations. This approach also utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) for tasks such as resume screening and is gradually expanding to include more tasks where AI can help generate measurable outcomes.

Guidance for the Generations to Come

For emerging professionals, Akiko advises them to define success deliberately and take ownership of the path to achieve it. Her own career reflects this conviction, focusing on making a positive difference today and laying the foundations for the future.

By shaping talent systems, fostering a high-engagement culture, and advancing digital HR, she has played a key role in ABeam Consulting’s growth. Her achievements are both personal milestones and institutional advantages, propelling the firm’s momentum to co-create a new future with clients and to lead across the region.