Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai wants a woman to succeed him at the head of Fast Retailing group

By

Marion Deslandes

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Sep 6, 2019

The founder and CEO of Japanese fashion and retail group Fast Retailing, Tadashi Yanai, 70, reckons that a woman is more likely to be successful in the group's top job. In an interview published by the Bloomberg agency, billionaire Yanai said that “the job is better suited to a woman,” arguing that women are “tenacious and have an eye for detail as well as aesthetic sense.”

Yanai, also the boss of Uniqlo, J Brand, Theory, Princesse tam tam and Comptoir des Cotonniers, has been frequently queried about his successor at Fast Retailing.

Bloomberg surmised that a likely candidate could be Maki Akaida, who was appointed as chief operating officer Japan for Uniqlo this year. Yanai, who sees this as “a possibility,” also indicated that he wants the share of women in executive positions within his group to rise above 50%. Last year, the share was close to 30%.

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In the first nine months of the 2018-19 financial year, the Fast retailing group, which operates 3,614 stores worldwide, reported a sales rise of 7%, reaching ¥1.822 trillion (€13.7 billion), with net income up a healthy 7%.