Don't Stop Believing: One Lawyer's Journey Through Loss, Grief, Leadership, and Gender Equity
"I thought you didn't want to be a partner" - Maya Ito heard these stunning words at a meeting to discuss her firm’s view that her lack of career progression at Big Four law firm Nishimura & Asahi, was simply because she had children. Plot spoiler: she's now a partner at that same firm, she’s leading cross-border project finance deals, and all the while, she’s running an almost entirely female team. Maya shares a deeply personal story of utter loss that forever changed how she approaches every single day of her life, reveals the Japanese warrior philosophy that defines her service to clients, and also explains why monthly team lunches replaced late-night drinking sessions. If you are looking up at senior partners wondering how they got there, or simply want to know what it really takes to sustain a career in Big Law while living with no regrets, grab your headphones and get ready to get to know Maya Ito in a way you never have before.
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In this episode you’ll hear:
Parental expectations that shaped her legal career and how she overcame them
A profound personal loss that became a turning point that guides her actions every day
The "kagemusha" philosophy of lawyering as a shadow ally
How Maya runs her all female team and makes time for her own life too
Her favourite podcasts, books and other fun facts
About Maya
Maya Ito is a partner at Nishimura & Asahi. She has extensive expertise in cross-border project financing for various natural resources, power projects, and other infrastructure projects. Her experience also extends to areas such as compliance, cross-border financial transactions, cross-border corporate transactions, and other general corporate matters.
Maya has extensive experience advising international investors on cross-border renewable energy projects, as well as advising both borrowers and lenders on financing for renewable energy projects in Japan. She previously worked in the cross-border project finance team of a Japanese megabank, handling matters relating to natural resources, power and energy, and infrastructure. Maya has also provided banks, financial institutions, and other corporate clients, most of which operate their businesses globally, with compliance and regulatory advice, as well as advice on a variety of governance matters. She is actively involved in D&I projects aimed at promoting the active participation of women, and has organized numerous D&I seminars and other similar events for corporations. She is also actively involved in Climate Change related projects and has organized Climate Change seminars and events.
In her free time Maya likes to play golf and she usually plays golf with her colleagues, clients and her family. Maya also has two cute toy poodles (Tarao and Ikura). The poodles’ names come from a famous Japanese Anime, “Sazae-san” and they give Maya a sense of “iyashi” (癒し) meaning “soothing and solace”.
Connect with Maya
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-ito-278b1863/
Links
Kagemusha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagemusha
Ikikata Book: https://amzn.asia/d/ew7DMGc
Connect with Catherine
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronai
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