91麻豆天美app

International Student Turned Business Exec

BS '03, Business Administration

Mune Iwanaga ('03, Business Administration) is the Vice President and Head of Internal Audit for Asia Pacific Japan and Greater China for SAP, System Application and Products, one of the largest enterprise software companies with over 100,000 employees globally. Iwanaga was an international student at Cal State East Bay and credited the university for giving him the practical foundation to prepare him for the professional world. While at CSUEB, Iwanaga interned at Deloitte, one of the Big 4 accounting firms, and was offered a full-time job upon graduation. His word of advice to students, "Set a goal and run with it 100%."

Q&A with Mune

Why did you decide to attend Cal State East Bay?

Initially, I was looking for a state school with an archaeology/anthropology major. I saw that Cal State East Bay (or Hayward at that time) had that option and got me interested. Also, I grew up in the Bay Area but moved back to Tokyo for middle and high school. I always wanted to come back to the Bay Area.

How has your education here at East Bay helped you with your endeavors?

While I took some courses in Anthropology, I realized that this would be very difficult to get a job in this field that would sponsor a work visa. I don’t have a US citizenship or permanent residency, so I had to find a company that would sponsor a work permit, and some of the larger accounting firms were able to do that. Then, I learned about the accounting program at the College of Business and its excellent reputation. I switched my major over immediately in my sophomore year which eventually lead to a career in public accounting with one of the “Big 4” firms. There were a lot of peers whom I received positive influence from, especially upperclassmen. This made a huge difference as I was able to learn from their experiences how to get a good job, how to prepare for job interviews, etc. Although there are many paths, I feel that your first job after graduation is important to set the course, if you want to pursue a professional business career. In a nutshell, the school gave me the practical foundation to prepare me for the professional world.

Did you face any challenges at Cal State East Bay? If so, how did you handle them?

I was away from my parents who were still back in Japan, so setting up and being independent was exciting. Yet, challenging because you have to take direct responsibility for your decisions and actions. I was able to meet other international students who were in the same situation, being away from home. We supported each other and I feel that this support got me through some of the tough times. Also, I met some friends who were able to take me to their parent’s house for a home-cooked meal. This gave me an extra boost of motivation especially when you are missing your family’s home-cooked meals.

What is your fondest memory of CSUEB?

Tell us a little bit about your career journey and your current job at SAP.

My current role is Vice President and Head of Internal Audit for Asia Pacific Japan and Greater China, based in Singapore for a company called SAP, which stands for System Application and Products. It is one of the largest enterprise software companies, with over 100,000 employees globally. The company also has a sizable operation based in Palo Alto. I ensure the internal controls and processes operate effectively within the organization. If there are issues, we try to support the management to come up with a remediation plan to mitigate the risk. My career journey started after my completion of an internship with Deloitte in San Jose in my junior year. I was offered a full-time job after graduation at Deloitte. I worked there for five years and received my Certified Public Accountant license. There were countless days and nights when I had to work around the clock to meet customer deadlines, including weekends and holidays. However, this experience taught me the diligence and rigor of working in a team environment and eventually helped me to get to the next opportunity. I returned to Tokyo and after a year with a consulting firm, I started with SAP Japan in the Global Internal Audit team. After three years, I relocated with my family to Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, where SAP’s Global Customer Operations is headquartered. This was my first time living on the East Coast, but we had a fantastic time, excluding the cold winters. Then in 2016, after three years in Pennsylvania, I relocated to Singapore to my current position.

If you could share one piece of advice with Pioneer students, what would that be?

Set a goal early and run with it 100%. For example, my short term goal was to work in the U.S. and get a professional career. Hence, I decided to join an accounting fraternity, Beta Alpha Psi. My friends thought it was the most “uncool” fraternity to get in. However, it allowed me to interact with recruiters of accounting firms directly. I was able to develop event organization skills by hosting firms to present in school, and I built my leadership skills by being part of the fraternity’s operating committee. Plus, I was able to meet and exchange information with other students from different universities who shared the same passion. It gave me the motivation to land a job in the accounting profession. I remember there were even national conferences, and I recall going to San Antonio and San Diego sponsored by Beta Alpha Psi.