KuraPAIR: Learning from each other, growing with one another: Kuraray

Kuraray Europe GmbH Sustainability Blog KuraPAIR: Learning from each other, growing with one another

KuraPAIR: Learning from each other, growing with one another

How it started: Our employees expressed an interest in more opportunities to learn from one another and tackle challenges together. That led to KuraPAIR, a mentoring program designed by Kuraray Europe GmbH to allow maximum freedom. Experienced colleagues pass on their knowledge and experience to mentees to support their personal and professional development. The most important factors are that the mentor and mentee get on well, trust one another, and share a common attitude. Essentially, everything’s possible, nothing’s set!

Open, flexible and straightforward

Kuraray Europe’s HR team was happy to take up an idea put forward by employees in a survey on personnel development: “We want to learn from one another”. The outcome was KuraPAIR – a program that specifically encourages cross-functional and cross-cultural interaction.

»Initially, our goal was to strengthen our Japanese expat community by matching Japanese expats with German partners to help them overcome the language barrier and cultural differences.«

Beatrice Binding
HR Development Partner, Kuraray Europe GmbH (KEG)

KuraPAIR has been running since May 2024 and has proven very popular. Its strength is its flexibility: Each pair decides on the frequency and duration of the sessions, and whether they meet up personally or remotely, in the office or elsewhere, for example, over lunch. The program started with five pairs. Now there are 15 and interest is increasing.

The program starts with a careful selection process and an opportunity for the pairs to get to know one another. HR provides intensive support in this phase. Questionnaires, interviews, and suggestions for good matches are the starting point. Ultimately, it is the participants who decide whether their interests and experience are a good fit. The focus is on job- and career-related topics, but personal aspects can also be discussed if both parties agree. If there are issues that go beyond the scope of the program or if more specialist support is needed, all employees at Kuraray Europe GmbH have access to short-term professional counseling through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Beatrice Binding:

»The success of a program like KuraPAIR is rooted in the trust and personal responsibility of both partners. The role of HR is to bring people together and provide support where necessary. Apart from that, we deliberately take a back seat.«

The right chemistry is essential

Mentor Dirk Hartmann, Head of POVAL Sales & Customer Services at Kuraray Europe GmbH, and mentee Yuriko Tanida, who is responsible for Global Talent Development & Succession Planning at HR, are one pair that gelled from the start. We asked them what motivated them to sign up for the program and how it has benefited them:

Dirk, why did you offer to be a KuraPAIR mentor?

»In my 22 years at Kuraray Europe, I’ve experienced a great deal, both professionally and personally. It’s important to me to share my knowledge – and also to get fresh perspectives, especially from people working in other fields. I don’t see mentoring as a one-way street. For me, it’s about learning from one another.«

Dirk Hartmann
Head of POVAL Sales & Customer Services, Kuraray Europe GmbH (KEG)

Yuriko, what did you hope for and how are you benefiting from your meetings with Dirk?

»KuraPAIR has given me the valuable opportunity to learn from an experienced colleague. I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts and concerns with him, and I’ve learned a lot through our conversations.«

Yuriko Tanida
Global Talent Development & Succession Planning at HR, Kuraray Europe GmbH (KEG)

KuraPAIR opens doors

As a mentoring program, KuraPAIR opens doors to sharing knowledge, cross-functional networks and a supportive corporate culture. That creates opportunities for personal and professional growth and strengthens the sense of belonging within a multinational environment.

At present, the KuraPAIR program is only available in Germany. However, demand is growing and since international collaboration is becoming more and more important in our company, there are already plans to broaden its reach.

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