Emi Takeda

IESE Business School

“A Japanese woman raised between Tokyo and California with M&A experience at a Japanese IT giant.”

Hometown: Tokyo, Japan and Mountain View, California

Fun Fact About Yourself: After getting admitted to IESE, I went to hitori-karaoke (karaoke alone in a private room) every weekend for two hours after my gym workout until one day I overheard the karaoke workers saying, “I feel bad for her.”

Undergraduate School and Major: Waseda University, Political Science and Economics major.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Deputy Manager, NTT DATA

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager? The case method puts you directly in the decision-maker’s shoes. IESE’s cases present real dilemmas without obvious answers, and professors facilitate discussions that include different options and perspectives from classmates around the world.

What makes this so valuable is hearing the reasoning and experiences behind each viewpoint. Sometimes a decision seems clear to me at first, but during class discussion I learn compelling reasons for alternative approaches that completely change my thinking. In other cases, one small detail someone notices can shift the entire decision. And sometimes, the right choice depends entirely on how risk-averse you are. There’s no universally correct answer, and ultimately, it’s my decision to make.

This mirrors real management: there’s rarely a single “correct” answer, and the ability to consider multiple perspectives to make better decisions is exactly what I’ll need in my career. The case method doesn’t just teach frameworks. It trains you to think like a leader who values diverse input, understands your own risk tolerance, and makes sound judgments in the face of uncertainty.

What has been your favorite part of Barcelona so far? What has made it such a great place to earn an MBA? Barcelona is a fantastic city to live in, which was crucial for me when choosing a business school. My checklist included sunshine, food, cleanliness, and safety. I know sunshine affects my overall mood, and coming from a city with an incredible food culture, great cuisine was non-negotiable. There are amazing restaurants across the city at affordable prices (I’m part of my section’s Foodie Group!), offering not just Spanish tapas but cuisines from around the world. The city itself is beautifully designed and clean.

Having a city I genuinely enjoy living in makes the intense MBA experience so much better. It’s easier to bring your best self to class and build strong relationships with classmates when you’re happy with where you are.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the one key part of the IESE Business School MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? What’s unique about IESE is the learning team structure. From day one, you’re assigned to a team of nine students from different nationalities and backgrounds, and you work with this same team on group projects for the entire first year. Every morning before class, we meet to discuss cases together, which deepens our understanding and prepares us for the classroom discussion.

It starts with an intensive communication workshop where we learn to work effectively across cultures and communication styles and get to know each other through public speaking activities. Throughout the year, we have regular team-building sessions where we give each other feedback and discuss how we can collaborate better. This structure was important to me because it mirrors real business: you don’t choose your colleagues, and success depends on your ability to build trust, communicate across differences, and leverage diverse perspectives.

But what really drew me to IESE was the opportunity this creates for deep relationships. At this stage in life, it’s rare to spend this much intentional time building trust and friendship with people from completely different backgrounds. It’s not always easy, learning to work together takes patience and vulnerability, but that’s exactly what makes it valuable.

The IESE MBA is known for heavy reading and rigorous academics. Has the program lived up to its reputation? What advice would you give to first-years to help them thrive in the early months of the program? Yes, the program has absolutely lived up to its reputation. My advice: don’t sacrifice sleep and actually read the cases. Don’t rely on AI summaries without reading them yourself.

It is a lot of reading, and to be honest, there are days I can’t get through everything. But the cases are written to give you extensive information, and it’s up to you to identify which details matter for your decision-making. I’ve found that AI summaries often miss information I consider important, and during class, people do dive into those details. You need to have read the case to fully engage.

My other crucial advice is SLEEP. During Communications Week in our first week, we had to memorize two speeches every day, ready to present at any moment. At first, my insecurity drove me to prepare until I had it 100% memorized, which meant going to sleep at 2 or 3 a.m. I ended up not presenting well. But on the day I gave up on perfection and got a good night’s sleep instead, my mind was clear and I performed well – so well that I was selected from my group to present in front of my entire section of 70 students. Sometimes rest is more important than one more hour of preparation.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at IESE? Communications Week, a two-week public speaking bootcamp where each of the 48 MBA teams is assigned a professional public speaking coach, giving us the valuable opportunity to receive personalized feedback and guidance. I’m very grateful for this experience and for my coach’s encouragement throughout the journey.

Having worked at a large firm, I often saw the importance of strong communication from leaders. We frequently had kickoff events where leaders presented, so I truly see the value of this course in preparing us to be effective leaders. One of my biggest takeaways was that over-preparing can kill a speech; authenticity and connection often matter more than perfection. I also learned not to be afraid of “not over-preparing” and to trust myself in the moment.

My coach created such a safe and supportive environment for all of us, which made it possible to take risks, share personal stories, and truly grow. It was also a great opportunity to get to know my team on a deeper level.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest career accomplishment was securing an overseas M&A deal as a strategic buyer for NTT DATA. I served as the main contact person at headquarters responsible for gaining approval from executives, the board of directors, and shareholders for the acquisition.

This required coordinating across multiple stakeholders and locations: working with the local M&A team and executives to discuss the post-merger integration process, collaborating with Tokyo headquarters’ strategy office, and presenting to shareholders. My role was to ensure everyone had the information they needed to make confident decisions while keeping the deal moving forward across different time zones and business cultures.

The acquisition successfully gave NTT DATA new capabilities and expanded our revenue streams. But what made this accomplishment truly meaningful to me was that it fulfilled my childhood dream of working in a global environment and connecting Japan with the rest of the world. Being at headquarters and working closely with executives and shareholders gave me invaluable insight into what leaders need to make major strategic decisions. The experience shaped my understanding of how businesses grow internationally and reinforced my passion for building bridges between Japan and global markets.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: My biggest accomplishment has been creating opportunities that bridge my classmates with meaningful experiences while strengthening ties between IESE and Japan. The Women in Business Conference was my first major milestone. As a first-year director on the conference logistics team, I helped bring together an event that I had attended just a year earlier as a prospective student. Seeing it come to life from the other side was incredibly rewarding. Building on that momentum, I’m now organizing a case competition in partnership with NTT DATA’s Barcelona office, which will offer a paid summer internship to the winner.

As a sponsored student from NTT DATA Inc. in Japan, part of my mission is to raise awareness of Japan among my classmates and elevate IESE’s presence within NTT DATA. This case competition accomplishes both. Everyone I’ve contacted to make this happen has been incredibly supportive and enthusiastic. While applications are just opening as I write this, I’m confident this will create real value for students and strengthen the relationship between IESE and NTT DATA for years to come.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far?
My best memory has been serving on the Women in Business Conference organizing team. Last year, I attended this conference as a prospective student, so being on the organization side this year felt incredibly full circle.

As a first-year director on the conference logistics team, I worked alongside second-years who had been planning for eight months, joining them for the final three months of preparation. What struck me most wasn’t just the planning itself, but the constant need to stay resilient, collaborate well with different teams, and adapt on the fly to ensure everything ran smoothly. On the day of the conference, the energy in that room was unlike anything else.

I spent most of the event in the cloakroom, which might sound unglamorous, but honestly, that’s where the magic happened. Members of the executive team would stop by throughout the day to flexibly jump in if anything was needed. We’d play our throwback music, dance when no one needed us, and share spontaneous moments of joy between the organized chaos. Those are the moments I’ll remember: not just pulling off a successful event, but the teamwork and pure fun of doing it together.

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