Executive Suite: Naoki Okamura, OSI Pharmaceuticals

After Tokyo firm Astellas Pharma Inc. acquired OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. in May, OSI dropped plans to relocate from Melville to Ardsley in Westchester.

Instead, its research facility at Broadhollow Science Park at Farmingdale State College will become the base for Astellas' small-molecule oncology research. The Melville and Ardsley offices will close in June.

Naoki Okamura, who led the acquisition of OSI for Astellas and headed a joint integration team, was named OSI chief executive this past July.

"One of the reasons that we tried to maintain this facility is that there's a very attractive relationship between industry and academia," he says. "It can be one of the crossroads of the industries -- here on Long Island."

Okamura, born in Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, previously worked for Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., which merged with another Japanese company to form Astellas.

Okamura, 48, moved to New York in October, learning English "on the job." His wife, who also works for Astellas, remains in Tokyo. 

Do you remember the first time you were someone's boss?
"I'm not a very patient boss, actually. I used to get in the middle" of things and be "hands-on." However, he quickly realized that approach "will never work. You look at your bosses or the bosses right next door, you find something you like" and don't like. "Gradually you incorporate all those good things and try to avoid bad things." 

What's your leadership style?
"I try to trust the team that I have and listen to what they have to say." After asking questions, "then I make a decision based on [that] information, [as] quickly and timely as possible." 

How do you motivate your employees?
"Try to involve them in the very beginning -- discussing all the alternatives, what's going to be the best way to go forward. I delegate the execution responsibilities to them and then keep them accountable for what the outcome is going to be. People don't respond well to "just being instructed or asked. I want to give them an opportunity to be part of" the whole process. 

What qualities do you look for in hiring?
"Actually, I have never hired a person. That's one of the differences" between U.S. companies and those in Japan, he says, where human resources departments do most hiring. "I would love to have people" who enjoy a challenge and have a "never say never" spirit. 

Has the recession impacted business?
"Regardless of the economy, our mission is the same because we have to serve the medical needs of the patients." To keep health care affordable, "we need to be much more cost-effective. Because OSI is now a 100-percent affiliate of a larger pharmaceutical company, from the going-concern perspective for OSI, it's probably much more stable."