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Executive Introduction

Director

  • Tatsuya Sato
    Tatsuya Sato
    Chairman of the Board
    Background and reasons for selection

    Date of birth: August 26, 1959

    April 1983 Joined Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    July 2016 President, Ajinomoto North America, Inc.
    June 2017 Director of Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    July 2018 General Manager of North American Headquarters of the company
    July 2018 President, Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc.
    June 2019 Managing Executive Officer, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    April 2021 Senior Managing Executive Officer in charge of corporate affairs
    June 2021 Company Director
    July 2021 General Manager of Corporate Division
    April 2022 Representative Director and President of the Company
    July 2023 Our CEO
    April 2025 Chairman and Representative Director of the Company
    June 2025 Chairman of the Board (current position)

    Reasons for selection

    At Ajinomoto Co., Inc., he has been involved in a wide range of businesses in addition to the food business, mainly overseas, and has abundant experience and insight related to overseas businesses and company management. It is expected that he will utilize this experience and insight in his role as a director in making important decisions and overseeing business execution, and therefore the Company has appointed him as a director.

  • Yuichiro Haruyama
    Yuichiro Haruyama
    Representative Director, President and CEO
    Background and reasons for selection

    Date of birth: December 19, 1969

    April 1993Joined Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (currently Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.)
    December 2019Senior Strategic Officer, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. (currently Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.)
    February 2020Sumitovant Biopharma, Inc. (currently Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.) EVP, Finance & Corporate Strategy
    April 2021Chief Financial Officer
    September 2022Executive Fellow, Corporate Headquarters, Finance Division,
    June 2023Executive Officer of the Company
    July 2023Executive Officer, CFO, in charge of Finance and Corporate Planning, and General Manager of Corporate Planning Department of the Company
    June 2024Managing Executive Officer, CSO, Corporate Planning Division,
    April 2025President and CEO of the Company
    June 2025Representative Director, President and CEO (current position)

    Reasons for selection

    Mr. Ikeda has been involved in finance and management strategy as well as company management at the Sumitomo Chemical Group, centered on Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., and has abundant experience and insight in finance and company management. It is expected that he will utilize this experience and insight in his role as a director in making important decisions and overseeing business execution. Therefore, he has been appointed as a director.

  • Kazuya Kondo
    Kazuya Kondo
    Executive Vice President, CTO and Head of Research and Development
    Background and reasons for selection

    Date of birth: March 5, 1968

    April 1993Joined Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    July 2008Ajinomoto Thailand Thailand Technology and Engineering Center Director
    July 2011Ajinomoto Co., Thailand Kamphaeng Phet 2nd Factory (Nucleic Acid) General Manager
    July 2014Ajinomoto Production Center Technical Department Manager
    July 2019ブラジル味の素 取締役副社長(生産、技術統括、DX 担当)
    July 2023Executive Officer in charge of research and development and Director of the Research and Development Center
    April 2025Executive Vice President, CTO and General Manager of Research and Development Division (current position)

    Reasons for selection

    Mr. Ikeda has been involved in food manufacturing and technological development, including overseas, at Ajinomoto Co., Inc., and has extensive experience and insight in the food and overseas businesses. He is expected to utilize this experience and insight in his role as director in making important decisions and overseeing business execution. He has been appointed as a director.

  • Tatsuya Sasaki
    Tatsuya Sasaki
    Outside Director
    Background and reasons for selection

    Date of birth: June 25, 1963

    April 1986Joined Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    January 2011Head of Nutrition Care Department at the company
    July 2013Head of Corporate Planning Department
    June 2017Executive Officer of the company
    June 2019Managing Executive Officer
    July 2019General Manager of Latin America Division of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and President and CEO of Ajinomoto Brazil, S.A.
    June 2021Executive Managing Director of the company
    April 2022同社執行役専務(現任)
    April 2022General Manager of Global Corporate Division and General Manager of Corporate Services Division of the same company
    June 2022同社取締役(現任)
    June 2022当社社外取締役(現任)
    April 2023同社コーポレート本部長(現任)

    Important concurrent positions

    Executive Managing Director and General Manager of Corporate Division, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

    Reasons for selection

    Reasons for nomination as outside director candidate and expected roles: Having been involved in the food business, including overseas, at Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Mr. Takeuchi has ample experience and insight broadly related to the food business and corporate management. He is expected to utilize this experience to make important decisions and supervise business execution as a director, and has therefore been appointed as an outside director.

  • Yoshizato Kaku
    Yoshiri Itaru
    Outside Director
    Background and reasons for selection

    Date of birth: April 28, 1967

    April 1991 Joined Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
    May 2006 Head of the Feed Grain Section of the Food and Retail Division, Feed and Livestock Department
    July 2012 General Manager of the Feed, Livestock and Fisheries Business Department, Grain Business Division, Food Products Headquarters
    January 2013 Management Company Sodrugestvo Ltd.(Assistant to CEO)
    October 2014 Assistant Manager, Grain Business Department 1, Food Products Division, Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
    January 2018 Multigrain S.A.(Officer, President & CEO)
    April 2019 General Manager, Oils, Fats and Staple Foods Division, Food Division, Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
    June 2020 スターゼン株式会社 社外取締役(現任)
    April 2021 General Manager, Livestock and Fisheries Business Unit, Food Division, Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
    April 2024 同社理事 食料本部長補佐(現任)
    June 2024 フィード・ワン株式会社 社外取締役(現任)
    June 2024 当社社外取締役(現任)

    Important concurrent positions

    Mitsui & Co., Ltd. Director, Food Division
    Outside Director, Starzen Corporation
    Outside Director, Feed One Inc.

    Reasons for selection

    Mr. Ikeda has been involved in overseas businesses and food and food products businesses at Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and has abundant experience and insight in these fields. It is expected that he will utilize this experience to play a key role in making important decisions and overseeing business execution as a director, and therefore he has been appointed as an outside director.

    (Note) During Mr. Yoshiri's term as an outside director of Starzen Co., Ltd., the company announced that its employees had engaged in inappropriate trading, including fictitious circular trading. Mr. Yoshiri was not aware of these facts. He regularly makes proposals at board of directors meetings and other occasions from the perspective of compliance with laws and regulations, and after these facts were discovered, he fulfilled his responsibilities by calling for further strengthening of the system for investigations and measures to prevent recurrence.

  • Yugo Ishida
    Tomotake Ishida
    Outside Director (Independent Director)
    Background and reasons for selection

    Date of birth: January 1, 1957

    April 1979 Joined Nomura Securities Co., Ltd.
    November 1997 President and CEO of Nomura Italy SIMpA
    April 2004 Executive Officer, Nomura Holdings, Inc.
    April 2005 President and CEO, Nomura Europe Holdings plc
    April 2008 Managing Executive Officer, Nomura Holdings, Inc.
    April 2009 Executive Managing Director, Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd.
    June 2011 同社取締役・COO兼執行役社長(2012年8月退任)
    January 2014 ラザード・ジャパン・アセット・マネージメント株式会社 代表取締役社長(2024年1月退任)
    June 2019 当社社外取締役(現任)
    February 2024 ラザード・ジャパン・アセット・マネージメント株式会社 シニアアドバイザー(現任)

    Important concurrent positions

    Senior Advisor, Lazard Japan Asset Management Co., Ltd.

    Reasons for selection

    Mr. Ikeda has been involved in domestic and international finance as well as company management at a securities company and an asset management company, and has abundant experience and insight in capital markets and company management. It is expected that he will utilize this experience to make important decisions and supervise business execution as a director, and therefore has been appointed as an outside director.

  • Akiko Ikeda
    Akiko Ikeda
    Outside Director (Independent Director)
    Background and reasons for selection

    Date of birth: July 26, 1960

    April 1983 Joined Daimaru Co., Ltd.
    April 2003 Joined Ito-Yokado Co., Ltd.
    March 2011 Executive Officer of the company
    March 2016 株式会社ジョリーパスタ 代表取締役社長(2017年3月退任)
    April 2017 株式会社ココスジャパン 代表取締役社長(2018年9月退任)
    June 2019 Okamoto Corporation Director and General Manager of Product Division
    June 2020 同社取締役経営管理本部長(2023年5月退任)
    January 2023 くら寿司株式会社 社外取締役(2024年1月退任)
    June 2023 People Trees合同会社 シニアパートナー
    June 2024 株式会社日本触媒 社外取締役(現任)
    June 2024 当社社外取締役(現任)

    Important concurrent positions

    Outside Director, Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.

    Reasons for selection

    He has been involved in marketing and administrative tasks as well as company management at major retailers, restaurants and other companies, and has abundant experience and insight in marketing and company management. We expect that he will utilize this experience to make important decisions and supervise business execution as a director, and therefore have appointed him as an outside director.

  • Maki Mifuyu
    Maki Mifuyu
    Outside Director (Independent Director)
    Background and reasons for selection

    Date of birth: December 22, 1964

    April 1991 株式会社福武書店(現 株式会社ベネッセコーポレーション) 入社
    June 2000 Re-joined Benesse Corporation
    April 2016 General Manager of Global Kodomo Challenge Division of the company
    April 2018 Executive Officer, Benesse Holdings, Inc.
    April 2018 Director of Benesse Corporation
    Vice President of Global Kodomo Challenge Company
    October 2021 Executive Officer, Vice President of Kids and Family Company, and Head of Japan Sector of Global Kodomo Challenge Group
    October 2021 Outside Director of Benesse B-Studio Inc.
    June 2024 当社社外取締役(現任)

    Reasons for selection

    Mr. Ikeda has been involved in marketing and company management at Benesse Corporation, and has abundant experience and insight in these fields. It is expected that he will utilize these experiences to make important decisions and supervise business execution as a director, and therefore he has been appointed as an outside director.

Audit & Supervisory Board Member

  • Masami Kashiwakura
    Masami Kashiwakura
    Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member
    Background and reasons for selection
    April 1986 Joined Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    July 2014 President of Ajinomoto Heartland, Inc.
    June 2017 Executive Officer, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    April 2018 President, Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition North America, Inc.
    June 2019 President, Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition Group, Inc.
    July 2021 President, Ajinomoto Foods Europe SA and Deputy General Manager, Europe and Africa Division, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    April 2022 Executive Managing Director, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    General Manager of Europe and Africa Division and President of Ajinomoto Europe S.A.
    April 2024 Our Advisor
    June 2024 当社常勤監査役(現任)

    Reasons for selection

    At Ajinomoto Co., Inc., he has been involved in a wide range of businesses in addition to the food business, mainly overseas, and has abundant experience and knowledge in overseas businesses and company management. He has been appointed as a full-time auditor because he is expected to objectively monitor and supervise the performance of duties by management.

  • Masaki Ueno
    Masaki Ueno
    Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member (Independent Officer)
    Background and reasons for selection
    April 1986 Joined Hokkaido Takushoku Bank Ltd.
    April 1998 麒麟麦酒株式会社(現 キリンホールディングス株式会社)入社
    March 2012 Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, General Manager of Legal Affairs
    January 2013 General Manager of Legal Affairs, Kirin Company, Limited and Group Legal Director, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
    April 2015 Executive Officer and General Manager of Legal Affairs, Kirin Company, Limited; Executive Officer and Group Legal Director, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
    April 2019 Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, Executive Officer and General Manager of Legal Affairs
    March 2020 協和キリン株式会社 社外監査役(2024年3月退任)
    June 2024 当社社外監査役(独立役員)

    Reasons for selection

    Mr. Ikeda has been involved in legal affairs for many years at Kirin Holdings Company, Limited and has served as a full-time auditor for Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., and has extensive experience and knowledge related to compliance and corporate management. He is expected to objectively monitor and supervise the execution of duties by management, and has been appointed as an outside auditor (independent officer).

  • 菅原 万里子 すがわらまりこ
    Mariko Sugawara
    Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member (Independent Officer)
    Background and reasons for selection
    April 1994 Registered as an attorney (Tokyo Bar Association)
    April 1994 Joined Ohara Law Office (currently)
    April 2005 Part-time Lecturer, Meiji Gakuin University Law School
    April 2005 Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Keio University
    December 2023 Director of the Japan Tax Litigation Association (currently)
    June 2024 Outside Director of Sanken Electric Co., Ltd. (current position)
    June 2025 当社社外監査役(独立役員)

    Important concurrent positions

    大原法律事務所(弁護士)
    一般社団法人租税訴訟学会 理事
    サンケン電気株式会社 社外取締役

    Reasons for selection

    He has specialized knowledge and abundant experience as an attorney and has been involved in corporate legal affairs for many years. Although he has never been involved in company management other than as an outside director, he has been appointed as an outside auditor (independent officer) since he is expected to objectively monitor and supervise the execution of duties by management.

  • 田名部 雅文 たなぶまさふみ
    Masafumi Tanabe
    Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member (Independent Officer)
    Background and reasons for selection
    October 1985 Joined Eiwa Audit Corporation (now KPMG AZSA LLC)
    March 1989 Certified Public Accountant Registration
    October 1999 Partner at Asahi Audit Corporation (currently KPMG AZSA LLC)
    June 2021 Managing Director, KPMG AZSA LLC
    July 2022 Director of Tanabe Certified Public Accounting Office (current position)
    June 2025 当社社外監査役(独立役員)

    Important concurrent positions

    Director of Tanabe Certified Public Accountant Office (CPA)

    Reasons for selection

    He has specialized knowledge and abundant experience as a certified public accountant. Although he has no prior involvement in corporate management, he has been appointed as an outside auditor (independent officer) since he is expected to provide objective auditing and supervision of the business execution of management.

(注)
  1. There are no special interests between the Audit & Supervisory Board members and the Company.
  2. Mr. Masaki Ueno, Ms. Mariko Sugawara and Mr. Masafumi Tanabe are external auditors as defined in Article 2, Paragraph 3, Item 8 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Companies Act, and Mr. Tanabe is an independent officer as defined by the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
  3. Pursuant to Article 427, Paragraph 1 of the Companies Act and the provisions of our Articles of Incorporation, we have concluded liability limitation agreements with each of our Audit & Supervisory Board Members, which limit the liability for damages stipulated in Article 423, Paragraph 1 of the same Act to the minimum amount prescribed by law.
  4. The Company has concluded an insurance contract for directors and officers' liability insurance as provided for in Article 430-3, Paragraph 1 of the Companies Act with an insurance company, and in the event that a claim for damages is filed by shareholders or a third party, the insurance contract will indemnify the insured against damages, litigation costs, and other losses. Each Audit & Supervisory Board Member is included as an insured under the insurance contract. The insurance contract is scheduled to be renewed with the same contents at the next renewal.

Executive Officer

  • Masayuki Matsumoto
    Managing Executive Officer and CCO
  • Kazunobu Tanaka
    Executive Officer, COO of Premium Fats Sdn Bhd
  • Yoshiji Yamaguchi
    Executive Officer CHRO Head of Human Resources and Legal Affairs
  • Kazumi Hatatani
    Executive Officer, SCM Division Manager
  • Mizumoto Mitsuki
    Executive Officer, General Manager of Refining Division
  • Kazushi Takahashi
    Executive Officer, General Manager of Sales Division and Tokyo Branch Manager
  • Takayuki Uchida
    Executive Officer, CFO, Head of Financial Affairs and General Manager of Finance
  • Makoto Uehara
    Executive Officer, General Manager of Production Management Division and General Manager of Production Strategy Division
  • Akihiko Nakabayashi
    執行役員 CSO 経営戦略統括部長 兼 ガバナンス推進部長
  • Akito Kashiwabara
    Executive Officer, General Manager of Business Strategy Division
  • Ryo Sato
    Executive Officer, Head of Marketing Division