MASAHIKO UOTANI - CEO OF SHISEIDO - INTERVIEW WITH BWM TOP 100 INNOVATION CEO

MASAHIKO UOTANI CEO OF SHISEIDO HAS BEEN SELECTED BY THE JUDGES OF BUSINESS WORLD MAGAZINE'S ANNUAL AWARDS TO BE A RECIPIENT OF THE TOP 100 CEOS IN INNOVATION AWARD 2021. THIS SELECTION FOLLOWS A STRINGENT PROCESS THAT EVALUATED OVER 40,000 NOMINEES TO SELECT THE EXCLUSIVE LIST OF 100 WINNERS

Masahiko Uotani is President and Group CEO of Shiseido, a Japan-based. beauty company founded in 1872. Mr. Uotani joined Shiseido in April, 2014 as the first Shiseido president. appointed from outside of the company in its 140-year history.

Masahiko Uotani: “In the three or so years I have been at Shiseido, probably the best decision I’ve made is to put more investment and focus into the travel retail business” When Masahiko Uotani took up an advisory role for Shiseido in 2013 following a long spell as President and Chairman of Coca-Cola (Japan), he discovered a venerable institution facing subtle but unmistakable signs of decline. Despite Shiseido’s rich cultural heritage and illustrious reputation, the company was in urgent need of rejuvenation and modernization.

Less than a year after his appointment as CEO in December 2013, Uotani unveiled Vision 2020, a charter that pledged to ensure Shiseido would remain ‘vital’ for the next century and that it would become the number-one beauty house in Japan and Asia. the former CEO of Coca-Cola in Japan was an unlikely candidate — he was in favor of adopting a more Westernised approach to management, for example. He had spent his career in Japan, but mostly in the employ of companies that were headquartered in the US.

n 1872, Shiseido opened its doors in Ginza, Tokyo. The family business that started out as Japan’s first Western-style pharmacy transformed into a global beauty giant that currently operates in approximately 120 countries and regions around the world. Shiseido’s history and tradition is characterized by a long string of innovations and category firsts that have repeatedly set new standards and whose effects have rippled across the entire beauty industry. 150 years later, our commitment to innovation is as steadfast as ever. Based in Japan, we aim to transcend borders and boundaries and venture beyond the cosmetics business to realize Beauty Innovations through the creation of unique products, delivering new values and actively contributing to the happiness of our customers across the globe through beauty.

While the global economy is still struggling to make for a brighter outlook, we carry out management reforms with the Skin Beauty business as our core business aiming to “Be a Global Winner with Our Heritage” and become the world’s No. 1 Skin Beauty company by 2030. In 2022, which is positioned as the year of “Back on Growth Track” in our medium- to long-term business plan “WIN 2023 and Beyond”, we aim to achieve global growth by promoting brand innovation and marketing concentration in the skincare business, which is one of our strengths.

This year, Shiseido celebrates the 150th anniversary of its foundation, and it will be a year of “hope” in which we take the first step toward shaping a new future. In line with our corporate mission “BEAUTY INNOVATIONS FOR A BETTER WORLD”, the year 2022 will be a major milestone in our efforts to contribute to the resolution of social issues and social development through the power of beauty. We will actively work on a variety of innovations to address social issues such as environmental concerns and the realization of diversity, and support people’s beauty, making their days full of smiles and hope around the world. At the same time, we will realize a sustainable world where people can experience happiness under our vision of a PERSONAL BEAUTY WELLNESS COMPANY, which contributes to a lifetime of unique and healthy beauty for each and everyone through the power of beauty.

www.shiseido.com