Why I joined The JAR Group

Hello JARspeaks readers, my name is Hide Harashima, the newest member of The JAR Group. As the CTO, I am responsible for the evaluation, planning, design, implementation, and development of the company’s technology infrastructure and applications.

I started off in medicine, following the path my parents chose for me. One year in, I left med school to pursue my true passion – technology.  I joined a start-up internet business for an e-commerce business, CommonMind, as the web developer.  The company went through several acquisitions until the dotcom boom imploded in the 90s.  I saw how technology could create positive change for people and businesses, and that is what consistently drives my passion.

My next step was Premier Research, a business that ran clinical trials for Pharmaceutical companies. For over ten years, I developed products that allowed data to be captured efficiently, managed, and reported; helping bring drugs to market quicker.  Over the same time, Premier Research acquired 8 businesses and I was tasked with the integration of people, culture, processes, and systems.  Each acquisition felt like a start-up, where we had the opportunity to pull the best of each business into a new and better company.  Overall, we cut millions of dollars in operational expenses while increasing the quality of work we delivered, decreased security risks, increased direct client work, and created a collaborative culture.

So how did I end up at JAR?  Simple, the people.  Everyone I met at The JAR Group strives to deliver the best results for clients.  They develop relationships and retain clients because they consistently deliver.  I look forward to representing JAR and applying my personal motto of using technology for positive effects.  Please say hello or find me on Twitter @hideh.