In Good Company: Shiseido, Japan's oldest cosmetics maker, gets more than a facelift with Masahiko Uotani

Japan's oldest cosmetics maker gets more than a facelift when an 'outsider' arrives to give it new life

Mr Masahiko Uotani accepted Shiseido's CEO post, he says, because to change the cosmetics company would mean a lot to the nation and he wanted to be a part of that change. It was a move that went down well when announced.
Mr Masahiko Uotani accepted Shiseido's CEO post, he says, because to change the cosmetics company would mean a lot to the nation and he wanted to be a part of that change. It was a move that went down well when announced. ST PHOTO: JASMINE CHOONG
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After nearly two decades at Coca-Cola Company, where he rose to be chairman and president of its Japan operations, the last thing on the mind of Mr Masahiko Uotani was a career in cosmetics.

Instead, as chief executive partner of BrandVision Inc, a company he founded upon his retirement from the Coke company to help Japanese firms go global, he was happy enough being an outside marketing adviser to the nation's oldest cosmetics maker.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on June 23, 2019, with the headline In Good Company: Shiseido, Japan's oldest cosmetics maker, gets more than a facelift with Masahiko Uotani . Subscribe