Interview

Building the Indian subsidiary from zero — and expanding a system where honest effort is rewarded.

Management / Business development

Masakazu Shinzaki

Director, Hakki Fleet Management Private Limited/Joined in 2024

Bengaluru, India

Career Step

Career path

2024
Joined HAKKI GROUP. Engaged in business management at the Kenyan subsidiary.
2025
Established the Indian subsidiary and appointed Director. Scaled the fleet from zero to 600 vehicles within the first year.
2026
Surpassed 1,000 cumulative customers in India. Expanded operations to three cities.

Reason

Why I joined

When I visited Africa as a student, I witnessed firsthand how people's potential can be shut off simply by where they were born or the environment they grew up in. A young man in Tanzania who had graduated from university yet had no choice but to sell apples on the street. A girl in Zimbabwe who gave up on school because it was simply too far away. Seeing these constraints that no amount of individual effort or talent could overcome, I felt a strong desire to dedicate my career to creating environments where people can fully realize their potential. For someone like me, HAKKI's business — supporting the asset-building of hardworking drivers through vehicle financing in Kenya — was a perfect match for the career I envisioned. On top of that, HAKKI had just completed its Series B and was entering a growth phase with plans to expand domestically and internationally. It was a chance to be part of the process as the business and organization scaled. A place where I could contribute to what society, the organization, and I myself all needed, and maximize the growth of each. I was drawn to that ambitious environment, and I joined.

The Work

What does your day-to-day work look like as Director of the Indian subsidiary?

My work spans an incredibly wide range, from hands-on fieldwork to corporate management. I've been involved since before the Indian entity was even registered, starting with incorporation and business model validation, then moving on to business planning, fundraising, financial management, hiring, and operations. Everything related to the Indian subsidiary is something I take personal ownership of. From building the walls and roof of our office to riding a motorbike around the city scouting for yards — there's plenty of literal "getting your hands dirty" work. On the other hand, I'm also in meetings with Japanese investors considering equity and debt investments in our company, negotiating local-currency loans with Indian financial institutions, and handling Big Four audit engagements — the kind of work that young professionals rarely get the chance to do. Working with real autonomy from a lively site where you can hear cows and feel the dust in the air — that's genuinely exciting.

What Makes HAKKI Exciting

What makes HAKKI's business exciting to you?

It's the ability to take on large-scale social change with a real, tangible sense of connection. Our vision is to create a world where honest effort is fairly rewarded. While the business model differs from country to country, they all share a common design: the harder and more honestly you work, the more you benefit. In Kenya, a track record of diligent work expands your credit limit, and three and a half years of effort comes back to you in the form of an asset. In India and South Africa, the harder you work, the more your bonuses grow and the higher your disposable income rises. As more people experience honest effort being rewarded through these systems, I believe the prevailing mindset will shift — from thinking that cutting corners or cheating is the way to get ahead, to believing that hard work genuinely pays off. That accumulation of individual shifts will, I believe, change the tide in emerging-market societies still plagued by fraud and corruption. When I interviewed a customer in Kenya who had completed their payments, the changes in their daily life and mindset powerfully reinforced this conviction. (For more, please see our Impact Report.) Being able to witness change at the n=1 level on the ground, and knowing that it connects to broader social transformation — that tangible, end-to-end sense of impact is what makes this company uniquely exciting.

Challenge

What I want to take on next

I intend to pursue both strengthening our organizational framework for a public listing and driving further business expansion. Toward the target of a TSE listing, I will build the foundations that earn the trust of Japanese investors and the market — reinforcing governance and establishing internal controls at the Indian subsidiary. At the same time, I won't let growth slow down. In India, one of the world's largest growth markets, I'll expand our portfolio on both fronts — cities and products — further broadening the value HAKKI can deliver to the Indian market.