Emily Haruko’s professional journey reflects resilience, adaptability, and a deep commitment to human potential. As the CEO and founder of Saroca, she has built a company focused on transforming leadership and workplace culture. Her path, however, was far from conventional. She began her career at just 19 years old in direct sales, working long hours in mall kiosks, door-to-door campaigns, and business-to-business environments. These early experiences were challenging, often filled with rejection, but they laid the foundation for her persistence and people skills. Around the same time, she launched her first business, which eventually failed. Instead of seeing this as a setback, Emily viewed it as a learning experience that shaped her future direction.
Her career then moved into advertising and later into media production, where she played a significant role in managing European operations for a gaming news platform. During her time in the iGaming industry, she built strong professional relationships that continue to influence her work today. After spending several years gaining diverse experiences, she returned to the industry with a fresh perspective and a deeper understanding of leadership and coaching. In 2023, she founded Saroca, combining her real-world business exposure with her expertise in transformational leadership.
“Businesses grow stronger when leaders focus on human potential, not just profits.”
The inspiration behind Saroca is deeply personal. Emily was influenced by her father, who believed in bringing coaching and leadership development into business environments long before it became widely accepted. This belief stayed with her and eventually became the driving force behind her company. She recognized a gap in the industry, where organizations focused heavily on performance and growth but often overlooked the development of the people behind that success. Saroca was created to address this imbalance by helping businesses invest in their people, not just their profits.
At its core, Saroca is driven by a mission to unlock human potential in the workplace. The company provides coaching, customized learning programs, and strategies that help organizations build strong, people-focused cultures. Emily believes that when individuals grow, businesses naturally follow. Her vision goes beyond short-term results. She aims to create a lasting impact on both the tech industry and the individuals working within it, helping leaders become more self-aware, balanced, and capable.
Emily strongly believes that transformational leadership is about empowering others. According to her, great leaders understand that business success and employee growth are interconnected. They are not just focused on targets and performance metrics but also on guiding their teams through uncertainty and change. She emphasizes the importance of balancing different aspects of leadership, such as speed and sustainability, profit and people, and data and intuition. She also highlights the importance of self-awareness, stating that leaders must understand themselves before they can effectively lead others.
Under her leadership, Saroca has achieved significant milestones in a short period. The company has delivered high-impact training programs across industries such as healthcare, cybersecurity, SaaS, and gaming. One of its notable achievements is maintaining an exceptionally high Net Promoter Score (NPS), reflecting strong client satisfaction. These accomplishments highlight the effectiveness of Saroca’s approach and its focus on meaningful results.
Innovation is another key aspect of Emily’s leadership style. She encourages her team to experiment without fear of failure, creating an environment where new ideas can thrive. She believes that innovation comes from curiosity and openness rather than pressure to be perfect. By celebrating small successes and continuously asking “What else is possible?”, she fosters a mindset that drives creativity and growth within her team.
Like many leaders, Emily has faced her share of challenges. From experiencing early business failure to navigating male-dominated industries, her journey has required resilience and confidence. She learned to trust her instincts and develop both emotional intelligence and strategic thinking. Building Saroca also brought its own challenges, especially in a rapidly evolving industry. However, she approached these situations with transparency and adaptability, using them as opportunities to grow both personally and professionally.
“Failure is never the end-it is where real learning and growth begin.”
In today’s fast-changing business environment, Emily believes in embracing change rather than resisting it. She focuses on understanding the human side of transformation, emphasizing empathy, communication, and presence. While Saroca actively explores the use of technology and artificial intelligence, it does so with a clear intention-to enhance human capabilities rather than replace them. She believes that true innovation lies in combining technology with emotional intelligence and human insight.
The growth of Saroca has been driven by strong relationships, consistent quality, and a commitment to delivering value. Emily understands the importance of trust and has built a network that supports her business. She believes that genuine connections, combined with excellent work, create long-term success.
For Emily, company culture is built through everyday actions rather than statements. She focuses on creating an environment where people feel valued, supported, and included. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are not just concepts at Saroca but are integrated into daily operations. She believes that when employees feel a sense of belonging, they perform at their best and contribute meaningfully to the organization.
Through her journey and leadership, Emily Haruko continues to redefine what it means to lead in today’s world. Her work highlights the importance of balancing performance with humanity, proving that sustainable success comes from investing in people as much as in business outcomes.
“True leadership begins when you invest in people, not just performance.”
