Kazuhiro Saito
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined Suntory in April 1979 and became deputy head of its foods division in September 2005. In April 2009 he became Managing Director of the new company that inherited the beverage and food business and Executive Officer of Suntory Holdings. From January 2011 he was Executive Vice President of Suntory (China) Holding and head of its China foods business, and its president from April 2014. He returned to the parent in April 2015 in charge of corporate planning and as head of finance and accounting, and from April 2016 also served as CEO of Suntory Beverage & Food Asia Pte. Ltd.
Selection
In March 2019 he succeeded Saburo Kogo as Representative Director and President. For the previous three years he had run the Southeast Asian business as CEO of Suntory Beverage & Food Asia Pte. Ltd., and before that had been president of the operating company in China. The change brought back to the parent someone who had been entrusted with one overseas operating company after another. The parent Suntory Holdings held a majority of the voting rights, with a 59.48% stake in the FY ended December 2015.
Initiatives
His tenure coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the FY ended December 2020 revenue fell to ¥1,178.1 billion and operating income to ¥96.2 billion. They recovered to ¥1,268.9 billion and ¥118.6 billion in the FY ended December 2021 and ¥1,450.4 billion and ¥139.7 billion in the FY ended December 2022. In December 2020 the head office moved from Chuo Ward to Minato Ward in Tokyo. In January 2022 two Directors and Executive Vice Presidents were named CEO of SBF Japan and CEO of SBF International, separating the chains of command for Japan and overseas.
Career
Career
Suntory
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1979 | Joined |
| Sep 2005 | Deputy Division General Manager, Food Division |
Suntory Beverage & Food
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 2009 | Managing Director |
| Mar 2015 | Managing Executive Officer |
| Apr 2015 | in charge of Corporate Planning Headquarters, General Manager, Finance and Accounting Headquarters |
| Apr 2016 | Standing Advisor |
| Mar 2019 | Representative Director, President |
| Mar 2023 | Stepped down as President |
Suntory Holdings Limited
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 2009 | Executive Officer |
Suntory Holdings Limited Co., Ltd.
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jan 2011 | Executive Vice President |
| Jan 2011 | General Manager, China Food Division |
| Apr 2014 | President |
| Apr 2014 | 中国ビール・黄酒事業部長 (translation pending) |
Suntory Beverage & Food Asia Pte. Ltd.
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 2016 | CEO |
References 1
References (Japanese primary sources)
- サントリー食品インターナショナル 有価証券報告書【役員の状況】（2021年12月期）