Kotaro Sawada
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined NTT Data in April 1994, moved to NTT Data Institute of Management Consulting in April 1998 and to Skylight Consulting in June 2005. He joined the group in May 2008 as Representative Director of Start Today Consulting, and became a Director of ZOZO in June 2013. He is not from the founding family, and his name does not appear among the top ten shareholders in the FY ended March 2016.
Selection
In September 2019 he succeeded Yusaku Maezawa as Representative Director, President and CEO. It was the first change from the founder as representative in the 21 years since the company's founding in May 1998. In the FY ended March 2019, the year before he took office, sales rose to ¥118.4 billion but operating income fell from ¥32.7 billion the previous year to ¥25.7 billion. Z Holdings had launched a tender offer that same year, and the change appears to have been one in which the founder gave up both his shareholding and management.
Initiatives
After he took office, consolidated net sales rose from ¥125.5 billion in the FY ended March 2020 to ¥228.4 billion in the FY ended March 2026, operating income from ¥27.9 billion to ¥69.4 billion, and the operating margin from 22% to 30%. The workforce grew from 1,158 in the FY ended March 2020 to 1,555 in the FY ended March 2023. In August 2022 he also became Representative Director and CEO of group company ZOZO NEXT.
Career
Career
NTT Data
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1994 | Joined |
| Apr 1998 | Management Laboratory, NTT Data |
Sukairaito Consulting
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jun 2005 | Joined |
Sutatotudei Consulting
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| May 2008 | Representative Director |
ZOZO
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jun 2013 | Director |
| Sep 2019 | Representative Director, President and CEO |
ZOZO NEXT
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Aug 2022 | Representative Director, CEO |
References 1
References (Japanese primary sources)
- ZOZO 有価証券報告書【役員の状況】