Masahiko Uotani is Representative Director, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Shiseido Company Limited. He joined Shiseido in April 2014 as the first president and chief executive officer to be appointed from outside of the company in its history. Since then, the group business has experienced rapid growth under his leadership.
 
The name Shiseido has come to represent the world’s highest standard of quality in beauty. Founded in 1872 as Japan’s first private western-style pharmacy in Tokyo, Shiseido Company, Ltd. is now the world’s largest beauty company with an Asian heritage. The company employs 42,000 people around the world, operates in over 120 countries, and has sales of more than ¥1 trillion. Shiseido strongly commits to deliver social value through its businesses, setting its mission as “Beauty Innovations for a Better World” to make everyone around the world happy through the power of beauty. 
 
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, a facility to develop the company’s next leaders. He also serves as President of Japan Cosmetic Industry Association, Committee Chair of Diversity and Inclusion of Japan Business Federation, and Chair of 30 % Club Japan.
 
Mr. Uotani earned a bachelor’s degree from Doshisha University in Kyoto and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.