SHINING STAR 2025
“Challenges That Change the Future” Continue to Expand.

Following up on the previous issue, this issue continues to introduce the individuals and teams selected for the UNIVA AWARDS 2025 “Shining Star” award.

The Shining Star award is presented to individuals and teams selected as the top 10 in the UNIVA AWARDS 2025 and highly recognized through the FINAL CONTEST. The three individuals and teams featured here have also challenged the “status quo” in their respective fields.

“Is there a system that allows for even more growth?”
“Is there a way to deliver even more value?”
“Can we build a foundation that better connects us to the future?”

It is precisely because they kept asking these questions that they achieved such results. It’s not just about sales. It’s not just about efficiency. These are challenges undertaken with an eye toward “the company’s future” that lies beyond. In this issue, we’ll introduce the initiatives of these three individuals and teams.

SHINING STAR 2025
UNIVA Paycast
Alliance Team & Marketing TeamWe have evolved from a “payment provider”
to a “company that continues to be the preferred choice.”

Payment services don’t end once they’re implemented. Rather, the real challenge begins afterward. How can we increase merchant adoption rates? How can we ensure continued usage? And how can we make merchants think, “I want to use UnivaPay”? UNIVA Paycast’s Alliance Team and Marketing Team tackled these questions head-on.

In fiscal year 2025, the increase in gross profit for existing existing merchants totaled approximately 119.31 million yen—a result that significantly exceeded the figure for the same period the previous year. However, this achievement was not merely the result of strengthened sales efforts. What they focused on was creating a “system for delivering value on an ongoing basis.” The first step was to raise awareness within the content sales industry.

They launched an official X account to share industry insights and updates on initiatives with major partners. Furthermore, they actively participated in events hosted by their payment integration partners, engaging in direct, on-site communication. As a result, feedback such as “Becoming an UnivaPay agent boosts credibility” began to emerge, and brand awareness improved significantly. Additionally, they launched “Univa Magazine,” a newsletter for merchants. By regularly distributing payment industry news and information on how to utilize their services, they continuously strengthened their connection with merchants.

Moreover, our efforts went beyond simply disseminating information. We analyzed merchants at high risk of churn and provided individualized follow-up. We also systematized our upselling and cross-selling proposals, establishing a support framework that accompanies merchants all the way through to “how they can grow after implementation.” As a result, we revitalized our existing merchant base, leading to an increase in gross profit.

The essence of this initiative was not simply “making sales.” It was about building long-term relationships while supporting the success of our merchants—in other words, creating “reasons to continue choosing us.” Competition in the payment industry is intensifying. That is precisely why it has become crucial to consider not just price and features, but also “with whom we want to grow.”

What the Alliance Team and the Marketing Team created was not merely a sales promotion campaign.
It was a new type of relationship designed to co-create the future with our merchants.

Click here for the Alliance Team & Marketing Team’s presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNv4Be2ImCM

SHINING STAR 2025
Naturally Plus Japan
HR TeamWe have redesigned our system from an “evaluation-based system”
to a “system that fosters challenges.”

An organization is built by its people. That is precisely why “which employees to evaluate and how to foster their growth” is directly linked to the very future of the company. The Naturally Plus Japan HR Team set out to address this very “foundation of the organization.”

The company has 64 employees. The average tenure is 16 years. Furthermore, employees with over 10 years of service account for about 70% of the workforce. Having many long-term employees is a major strength. On the other hand, because the HR system had remained unchanged based on outdated assumptions, the disconnect with the front lines had gradually widened.

In fact, the performance evaluation system had not undergone any major revisions since its update in 2019. Standardization of competency-based evaluations; excessive reliance on departmental and team goals; the hollow formalization of individual goal-setting; and promotion evaluations overly focused on short-term results—
“No matter how hard you work, you won’t be rewarded.”
“Taking on challenges doesn’t make a difference in your evaluation.”
Such issues were beginning to dampen the organization’s drive for growth.

Consequently, the HR team began to act not merely as “the group that administers the system,” but as “the group that transforms the organization.” The first step was to redesign the performance evaluation system itself. We revised the company-wide evaluation criteria and shifted to a competency-based evaluation system organized by grade. Furthermore, we established job descriptions for each department and grade to clarify the required roles and expectations.

In addition, we asked employees to define “challenge goals” and ensured that these challenges were fairly evaluated. We evolved the system to reflect not only performance outcomes but also “new challenges” themselves in the evaluation process. We also introduced 360-degree evaluations for managerial performance, establishing a framework that allows for more objective and multifaceted assessments of employees.

What is particularly impressive about this initiative is that it did not stop at merely “changing the evaluation system.” We delved into overall optimization, including personnel costs and compensation design, and reevaluated “where to invest” within our limited budget.

In other words, this reform was not merely a change to the system. It was an effort to redesign the very “allocation of investment toward the organization’s future.” We clarified what goals to aim for so that employees can design their own growth paths. And by clearly defining what kinds of challenges will be recognized, we are also shaping the future of each and every employee.

What the HR team drove forward was not merely an “evaluation system reform.”
It was “organizational evolution” itself—designed to ensure we continue to foster the kind of challenges that are unique to UNIVA.

View the HR team’s presentation here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLcZUYP5J8Q

SHINING STAR 2025
UNIVA Guangzhou Trading
Wu QinyiShe supported the cross-border e-commerce project and
made the “challenge of entering the Chinese market” a reality.

Taking on overseas markets is no easy task.
Regulations.
Business customs.
And speed.

The Chinese cross-border e-commerce market, in particular, offers tremendous potential but also requires a high level of expertise and the ability to adapt to local conditions. Wu Qinyi (Amy) of UGT was highly praised precisely for her role on the front lines, where she consistently supported the entire project.

In April 2025, a cross-border e-commerce project targeting mainland China was launched through a collaboration between UGT, UNIVA Hong Kong Trading, UNIVA Marketing Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong-based company LAIWO. The project involves Hong Kong-registered over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and traditional Chinese patent medicines. It is a large-scale initiative to expand into the Chinese market through China’s three major e-commerce platforms: JD.com, Tmall, and AliHealth.

However, launching this business presented many hurdles: cross-border e-commerce policies, pharmaceutical regulations, platform listing criteria, contract terms, and financial simulations. Entering the market required extensive research and preparation. Working alongside UNIVA Marketing Hong Kong, Amy took the lead in driving the project forward.

Market and regulatory research. Organization of operational frameworks. Coordination of role assignments with LAIWO. Revenue model analysis. Furthermore, we provided support across a wide range of tasks, including the preparation of store application materials and product certification documents. Of particular importance was “laying the groundwork to make the business viable.” This involved more than just translation and coordination; it required aligning the perspectives of each company and translating those plans into actionable steps at the operational level. Amy persistently carried out this role.

As a result, in September 2025, official stores were launched on the three major platforms—JD.com, Tmall, and AliHealth—and the project officially began. Furthermore, on the very first day of launch, the company secured a large order worth over 1 million HKD Sales for the month of September alone reached 6.91 million HKD, generating a significant response from the market.

However, Amy’s value extended far beyond the “launch” phase. She managed sales data integration, financial record management, report preparation for group companies, and analysis by category and SKU. Even after operations began, she supported continuous analysis and information sharing, contributing significantly to improving the accuracy of management decisions.

This challenge was not merely about launching an e-commerce store. It was a project to create a “gateway” for the UNIVA Group to make a full-scale foray into the Chinese market. Moving a business forward in a market with different systems and cultures requires not only the ability to adapt but also the “determination to see it through to the end.” Amy’s efforts truly embodied that spirit.

This is what it truly means to “achieve overseas expansion.”
That challenge is what led to her being named a Shining Star this time.

View Amy’s presentation here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvZH-AuSYyY

The three individuals and teams introduced here have also continued to take on “challenges that change the future” in their respective workplaces. The UNIVA AWARDS are not merely a venue for recognizing achievements. They are a place to honor challenges that question the status quo and seek to create new value.

What kinds of challenges will emerge next year? And which NAKAMA will take the stage next? Please actively take on the challenge of participating in next year’s UNIVA AWARDS. The challenges you’ve accumulated in your respective workplaces will shape the future of UNIVA. We look forward to seeing new Shining Stars emerge.