Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) announced that its Board of Directors today decided that it will propose a new candidate for independent external director at the 147th Ordinary Meeting of Shareholders on June 28th, 2023. The new candidate, Miki Tsusaka, will join the board effective June 28th, if approved by the shareholders. Furthermore, Masato Iwasaki, Representative Director, Japan General Affairs expressed his intention to retire on the same day. All other current board members who are not our Audit & Supervisory Committee members will be proposed for re-election.
“On behalf of Takeda’s Board of Directors, I would like to thank Masato Iwasaki for his invaluable contribution to Takeda. In his nearly 40-year career with Takeda, he has made a significant impact supporting Takeda transformation to become a global biopharmaceutical company, while staying true to our values.” said Christophe Weber, Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of Takeda.
Dr. Iwasaki started his career at Takeda in 1985, in sales and marketing in Japan. He was later appointed as Head of the Strategic Product Planning Department in 2008 and then became Head of Pharmaceutical Marketing Division as well as Director in 2012. He served as President of the Japan Pharma Business Unit, a member of the Takeda Executive Team, from 2014, and assumed Japan General Affairs in 2021 to oversee overall business activities in Japan. Milano Furuta, who is currently President of Japan Pharma Business Unit will be named Japan Country Head in addition to his current role.
Miki Tsusaka is current President of Microsoft Japan, appointed in February 2023. Prior to this role, Ms. Tsusaka was a Senior Partner and Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where she helped various industries with growth strategies, profitability, and digital transformation. At BCG, she established strategic consulting groups, specializing in marketing, sales and pricing strategy development, served as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and was a member of the Executive Committee for two three-year terms. Ms. Tsusaka holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and East Asian Studies from Harvard University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Masami Iijima, Chairperson of the Nomination Committee commented “Takeda is highly committed to advancing the diversity of the Board, including gender, nationalities, skills and experiences, while ensuring balanced representation of our global stakeholders. With Miki Tsusaka joining our Board, we will be able to strengthen further our governance.”
“We are very excited tohave Miki Tsusaka joining our board. With her deep expertise and experience, we look forward to further pursuing our vision tobecome a leading digital biopharmaceutical company focusing on delivering life-transforming treatments.” commented Christophe Weber.
Ms. Tsusaka commented “I am honored to be a candidate to join Takeda’s Board of Directors. With my deep respect for Takeda’s strong leadership in biopharmaceutical science, values-based culture and sustainability, I look forward to working alongside the rest of the Board to help deliver on Takeda’s purpose and vision.”
Candidates for Directors Who are Not Audit and Supervisory Committee Members
Name | Category | Expected Role | |
Christophe Weber | Internal | Existing | Representative Director, |
Andrew Plump | Internal | Existing | Director, President, Research & Development |
Constantine Saroukos | Internal | Existing | Director, Chief Financial Officer |
Masami Iijima | External | Existing | External Director, Chair of the Board Meeting |
Olivier Bohuon | External | Existing | External Director |
Jean-Luc Butel | External | Existing | External Director |
Ian Clark | External | Existing | External Director |
Steven Gillis | External | Existing | External Director |
John Maraganore | External | Existing | External Director |
Michel Orsinger | External | Existing | External Director |
Miki Tsusaka | External | New | External Director |
The following four Directors who are Audit and Supervisory Committee members were elected at the 146th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held in 2022 and their terms of office will continue until the 148th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held in 2024.
Name | Category | Expected Role | |
Koji Hatsukawa | External | Existing | External Director, Head of Audit and Supervisory Committee |
Yoshiaki Fujimori | External | Existing | External Director, Audit and Supervisory Committee Member |
Emiko Higashi | External | Existing | External Director, Audit and Supervisory Committee Member |
Kimberly A. Reed | External | Existing | External Director, Audit and Supervisory Committee Member |
[Note: The members of the Nomination Committee and Compensation Committee will be discussed and determined at the Board of Directors meeting to be held after the 147th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.]
About Takeda
Takeda is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments, guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Genetics and Hematology, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI), with expertise in immune and inflammatory diseases. We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people’s lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries and regions. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.
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