Yusaku Maezawa
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
In May 1998 he founded Start Today as a limited company, starting with mail-order sales of imported CDs and records. He served as Representative Director from the founding, and in December 2004 began operating the online mall site ZOZOTOWN. He also kept control of the capital himself: among major shareholders in the FY ended March 2011 he was the largest with 53.67%. In the FY ended March 2016 he still held 43.16%, with the next shareholders, trust banks and foreign corporations, each at 3% or less.
Selection
As the first leader with no predecessor, he became Representative Director at the founding in May 1998. His title changed to Representative Director and President in April 2017, but the representative did not change. He was not a president brought in from outside by the board; the founder simply stayed at the top for 21 years. The founding-era finances, run on borrowings without outside capital, show in the equity ratio of 11.8% in the FY ended March 2006.
Initiatives
Spanning the launch of ZOZOTOWN, consolidated net sales grew from ¥1.2 billion in the FY ended March 2004, just before the launch, to ¥98.4 billion in the FY ended March 2018, and the workforce from 16 to 904. In the FY ended March 2019 sales rose to ¥118.4 billion, but operating income fell from ¥32.7 billion the previous year to ¥25.7 billion. That same year Z Holdings launched a tender offer, and in September he handed the presidency to Kotaro Sawada.
Career
Career
ZOZO
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| May 1998 | Representative Director (at founding) |
| Apr 2017 | Representative Director, President |
| Sep 2019 | Stepped down as President |
References 2
References (Japanese primary sources)
- ZOZO 有価証券報告書【役員の状況】
- ZOZO 有価証券報告書【沿革】