On May 13, 2026, the Institute held the 2027 Germany Internship Seminar: International Internships and Exchange. We were honored to invite Ms. Mai Takano from Salesforce Japan, a leading CRM service provider, to share her career development journey.
Prof. Lee first introduced the concept and professionalism of overseas internships and international exchanges. Students were encouraged to demonstrate a proactive, self-motivated learning spirit and maintain strong communication skills. The overseas internship program presents an important opportunity to broaden global perspectives and cultivate global competitiveness. Prof. Lee also urged students to cherish this valuable opportunity and to prepare themselves for overseas internships with a diligent, responsible attitude.
Ms. Mai Takano serves as a Contract Manager in the Legal Department at Salesforce's Japanese subsidiary. Salesforce is a world-leading CRM (Customer Relationship Management) service provider. Headquartered in San Francisco, Salesforce's towering office building is widely regarded as one of the city's landmarks. The company's core strengths lie in its comprehensive ecosystem and high system flexibility. Salesforce Taiwan currently serves over 1,000 enterprises, spanning industries such as high tech, manufacturing, and finance. As agentic AI applications gain increasing attention from enterprises, Salesforce entered the field in 2024 with the launch of Agentforce, an AI agent service that enables companies to build, deploy, and operate internal AI agents.
Ms. Mai Takano shared her academic milestone and professional journey, as well as her personal reflections, tracing her path from a traditional large-scale Japanese technology company to legal roles at various multinational tech companies, where she leveraged her expertise at the intersection of law, technology, and business. Gaining deep insight into the challenges of working across borders, cultures, jurisdictions, and departments, her daily work as legal counsel at a multinational tech company involves risk analysis prior to market entry, compliance implementation in cross-border business operations, and contract translation. Looking back on her career, Ms. Mai Takano expressed gratitude to the mentors and supervisors who guided her and provided opportunities along the way. She seized every chance to step beyond Japan—pursuing LL.M. studies in the United States, serving as a liaison for multinational companies, and collaborating and exchanging ideas with professionals from diverse national and cultural backgrounds. The experience accumulated over the years, combined with her dedicated and responsible professional ethos, has enabled Ms. Mai Takano to face career transitions without fear, moving forward with greater confidence.
Ms. Mai Takano encouraged students to maintain curiosity and a spirit of exploration, and to bravely step outside their comfort zones. In today's rapidly changing environment, possessing interdisciplinary integration skills allows one to showcase unique advantages on the highly competitive international stage and become a professional with both global vision and cross-disciplinary competitiveness. Finally, Ms. Mai Takano emphasized to students the importance of keeping an open mind to different perspectives, seizing every opportunity to learn and practice, maintaining self-confidence, and believing in oneself—ultimately, this will lead one to the path they desire. We extend our deepest gratitude to our distinguished guest, Ms. Mai Takano, for her sharing, and we are confident that the students have learned tremendous insights from her.
