FI V E M INUTE S W ITH
TOM SUMNER
President, Yamaha Corp. of America By Brian Berk This is The NAMM Show issue, where we tend to bring out our “heavy hitters.” Few are bigger than Tom Sumner, president of Yamaha Corp. of America (YCA). Sumner took over this role on April 1, and we ask how things have gone during this nine-month period. We also broach plenty of other topics, of course, including how Sumner was offered this job. Enjoy.
The Music & Sound Retailer: You became president of Yamaha Corp. of America on April 1, the first American to take on this role. Tell us about the significance of taking on this role and how you first found out you had earned the title? Tom Sumner: There was a process to earning the role, so I knew there was a possibility they would offer me the job. My current boss from Yamaha Japan flew to Los Angeles International Airport for one evening and met with me and my boss at the time — Hitoshi Fukutome — to offer me the job. We met at the LAX Marriott, and it was a bit surreal, as there was a fantasy-creature convention going on — kind of like Comic-Con — at the hotel that weekend, and we were about the only people there not dressed like a troll or a pixie. Having an American in the role has been an energizer for our team in the United States. Part of the significance of my appointment is for me to remain in the role, which actually gives me a longer time horizon to plan and implement than my predecessors had. The Retailer: What advice did your predecessor, Hitoshi Fukutome, give you? Sumner: Hitoshi didn’t leave me with specific advice, though he taught me plenty in the five years we worked together. I think the two most important things he taught me were patience and how to collaborate and gain consensus across multiple groups. Maybe it’s because I’m American, but I tend to want to see results pretty quickly. Hitoshi really demonstrated showing patience and pacing the organization to achieve the best results. He also worked really well across multiple
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groups — multiple teams at Yamaha Corp. of America and multiple teams at Yamaha Japan — to gain consensus and drive outcomes that everyone could support.
The Retailer: Please tell us about what you’ve seen in your nine months as president. Anything you didn’t expect? Any surprises? Please explain. Sumner: Since I have been working in the U.S. market from the beginning, I didn’t have to “learn” the market, though it definitely changes every day. One of the big challenges over my tenure so far has been hiring the best people for our team. We have many long-term employees at YCA, which is a testament to our company being a great place to work. But that also means when folks retire or leave the company, they walk out the door with 20 to 30 years’ experience. That is hard to replace. We also have a rigorous hiring process. We take time to try to be certain that the people we hire are a good cultural fit. The challenge of finding and hiring the right people for our team has been my biggest surprise. The Retailer: Take us through your typical day as president. What responsibilities do you handle? Sumner: There isn’t a typical day. I travel a fair amount of the time — sometimes to visit our dealers, sometimes to meet with dealers and customers at trade shows, and sometimes to Japan to connect with our leadership, product and marketing teams. I usually fly about 150,000 miles each year to try to stay connected with folks. Of course, I’m responsible for YCA overall, and for me, jobs one and two are making
JANUARY 2019
