Today, the Shiseido Group announced a change in its leadership. Starting from January 1, 2025, Kentaro Fujiwara will serve as Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, President, and CEO. Kentaro Fujiwara is currently the Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, President, and COO. This change is due to the retirement of the current Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, Chairman, and CEO, Masahiko Uotani, on December 31, 2024.
According to public records, Kentaro Fujiwara was appointed as the General Manager of Shiseido China Investment Co., Ltd. in 2015, and after the establishment of Shiseido’s China Regional Headquarters in 2017, he served as President of Shiseido China. In January 2023, Kentaro Fujiwara was promoted to President and COO of the Shiseido Group.
After retirement, Masahiko Uotani will continue to contribute to Shiseido as a Senior Advisor, providing advice, supporting talent development, and engaging in external relations upon the management team’s request. He will officially step down as a director at the conclusion of the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for March 2025.
This leadership transition is part of a five-year CEO succession plan initiated by Shiseido in 2019. In November 2022, the Board of Directors appointed Kentaro Fujiwara as a CEO candidate, a position that was announced along with Masahiko Uotani’s retirement plan. Due to the smooth progress of the transition, the Board adopted the resolution to finalize the change.
According to Shiseido’s first-quarter financial report, the Group’s net sales amounted to 249.453 billion yen ($1.61 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of 3.9%; operating profit recorded a loss of 8.745 billion yen ($56.4 million); and net profit attributable to shareholders recorded a loss of 3.286 billion yen ($21.2 million).
