Globalizing a Japanese Beauty Company with over 150 Years of History: Shiseido’s Brands, Innovation, and Human Capital
Tuesday, October 24, 2023 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM (Lunch will be provided)
Board Rooms 320 & 330 (NEW), Geffen Hall, Columbia Business School (Map)
(645 West 130th Street, New York, NY 10027)
Note: This in-person event is only for individuals with an active Columbia University ID.
Featuring: Masahiko Uotani ’83, Chairman and CEO, Shiseido Company, Limited
Moderator: David E. Weinstein, Director, Center on Japanese Economy and Business, Columbia Business School; Carl S. Shoup Professor of the Japanese Economy, Columbia University
What you'll learn:
- Shiseido’s 150-year legacy and successes, the company’s strategies to build a foundation of sustainable growth for another 150 years, and Shiseido’s ambition to become a leading global beauty company by investing in brands, innovation, and human capital as, under Mr. Uotani’s leadership, over 70 percent of their sales are now overseas
- The importance of DEI and globalization at Shiseido and Mr. Uotani’s take on Japanese women’s leadership and career development
- Mr. Uotani’s professional history, including his time at Columbia Business School and his journey leading companies such as Shiseido and Coca-Cola Japan to evolve and grow into global companies in the VUCA world
Bio:
Masahiko UOTANI is Representative Director, Chairman and CEO of Shiseido Co., Ltd. Mr. Uotani joined Shiseido in April 2014 as the first President and CEO to be appointed from outside of the company in its history. Since then, the group business has experienced rapid growth under his leadership.
Prior to joining Shiseido, Mr. Uotani had more than 30 years of experience at both Japanese and global FMCG companies. Among his various posts, he spent 18 years in marketing and management at Coca-Cola Co., Ltd. in Japan. Through this experience, he developed his hybrid management style leveraging both Japanese and global strengths.
Mr. Uotani’s business priority is first and foremost, “PEOPLE FIRST” which places employees at the core of the company’s stakeholders. He recently led the establishment of “Shiseido Future University” (Planned for autumn 2023), a facility created to develop the Company’s next leaders. His leadership and passion for diversity and equality also result in his serving in other roles such as President of Japan Cosmetic Industry Association, committee chair of Diversity & Inclusion of Japan Business Federation, and chair of 30 % club Japan.
Mr. Uotani earned a bachelor’s degree in 1977 from Doshisha University in Kyoto and an MBA in 1983 from Columbia Business School in NYC.
About Shiseido:
Founded in 1872 as Japan’s first private western-style pharmacy in Ginza Tokyo, Shiseido Company, Ltd. is now the world’s largest beauty company with an Asian heritage. The company employs 39,000 people around the world, operates in over 120 countries, and has sales of more than 1 trillion yen. (Read more)
Main Organizer: Center on Japanese Economy and Business (CJEB), Columbia Business School
Outreach Partner: Columbia Beauty Club, Columbia Business School
