298 Goro Naito, President Evonik Japan

"So first thing is you need to listen to them and delegate, and let them do it."

"So you try to make it as a conversation."

"So then you start mapping them who can be our supporter, who's not."

"It's about your mindset."

"And you should really take it seriously, not only by words"

Goro Naito became President of Evonik Japan in 2024, the company's first Japanese president. His career spans energy, public relations, corporate communications and business development. After studying philosophy at university, he joined Shell Japan, working in liquefied natural gas, including business connected with Australia's North West Shelf. A three-year assignment in London involved global natural gas planning, followed by energy marketing and business development in Japan.

He later moved into a Japanese public relations agency, leading a team of around 20 people and working with clients including Pfizer and Nike. He joined Evonik in 2008 as head of communications, supporting local and government relations around a new plant in Yokkaichi. In 2013, he moved to Essen, Germany, as head of global communications for just under three years. He subsequently returned to Japan in business development before becoming president. Five childhood years in Britain helped establish the English proficiency and cultural flexibility that have supported his international career.

For Goro Naito, President of Evonik Japan, leadership begins with a discipline that can be surprisingly difficult for accomplished executives: listening. His experience across Shell, a Japanese public relations agency and the German specialty chemicals company Evonik has reinforced a consistent lesson. Technical knowledge, international exposure and communication skills become more effective when a leader creates room for other people's judgement.

The turning point came at Shell. After choosing a management path, Naito received feedback from the company's president that he lacked listening skills. Initially, he understood the comment as a question about language comprehension. The real issue was whether he listened to people. That distinction changed his understanding of management, although translating the lesson into everyday behaviour took time.

The challenge became practical when he joined a public relations agency. He was older than many colleagues and lacked their specialist publicity experience. Leading around 20 people required respect for expertise he did not possess. Rather than supply every an