Life Sciences

Valentin Loirat

Tokyo

What I Do

As a veteran recruiter in the healthcare sector, I help leading companies hire top talent for their commercial, medical, and back-office needs. I focus my recruiting practice on domestic and foreign companies in Japan.

Ask me about

How to get hired by a British country club without speaking English, why I recycle rare plant seeds, and what to do when an angry wild boar charges you.

And for the rest of the story

When Voltaire said “we must cultivate our own garden,” he meant we should never rest. Not many can claim to live this maxim better than Valentin. Raised in Guerande, Brittany, he spent his youth learning how to grow fruits and vegetables, tracking wild animals in the nearby woodlands, and biking to La Baule – Europe’s longest sand beach. Heavenly years. But when he was eighteen, with zero foreign experience, he suddenly decided to make a solo trip across the English Channel to Jersey. Beset by problems, through guts and initiative he ultimately turned it into a formative adventure, one on which he learned the joy of hard work, the power of cross-cultural exchange, and that difficulty can be reimagined as opportunity. These principles he carried into his professional life, acquiring an entirely new skill set so he could make the big switch from communications project management to recruiting, which he knew would better suit his goals. We are happy he’s fulfilling them at Zensho Agency. “The autonomy of our consultants and the culture are unique in the industry,” he says. “Here you are both the manager of your business and the member of a family.” At work and play, Val is indeed a non-stop doer. He enjoys having philosophical debates with friends as much as cheering for FC Nantes, reads everything from the classics to murder mysteries, is an aspiring painter, and above all (because why not take Voltaire literally as well?) an expert gardener. Together with his wife, he’s been growing radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, soy beans, paprika, basil – even mango and lemon trees. He’s really growing on us too.

Ayni Programs

Recruitment brought us extraordinary opportunities, so our recruiters donate a small percentage of their earnings to our charity, called Ayni. Each year, Ayni funds programs at Shisei Gakuen, an orphanage in Tachikawa City, Tokyo. Two of our favorite programs are Speakout and Careers in Nature.

Speakout is an event that provides the kids with career mentorship, something every Zensho recruiter knows is vital to a person’s chances of living a full life. What makes it so special is that every one of the speakers also grew up at Shisei Gakuen. Returning as big brothers and sisters, they share their practical work experience with the next generation of graduates. And since it’s held as a business lunch at a hotel, Speakout offers a double benefit: encouraging the kids to think seriously about their futures, and reminding them that proper table manners are a powerful asset when trying to make a good first impression!

Careers in Nature is our scholarship program for kids at Shisei Gakuen who are specifically interested in careers related to nature. To qualify for a scholarship, they write essays about their plans for work in farming, fishing, forestry, conservation, marine biology and veterinary medicine. They have dreams, but, without the sort of education and training that parents usually finance, might have difficulty realizing them. These scholarships are our way of helping these youngsters get started on the good foot while doing our bit for Mother Earth.

Ask the Zensho tribe what it means to close a deal. When we succeed, our clients get the talent they need, our candidates make the career change they wanted, our Partners move a step closer to achieving their personal ‘why,’ and we all participate in this magical dance of reciprocity called Ayni.

How does that feel? Energizing.