Kentaro Fujiwara
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined in 1991, became President of Shiseido Korea in November 2011, took charge of the China region as an Executive Officer in January 2016, and served as China Region CEO from January 2018. Just before becoming President he was a Managing Executive Officer in charge of the China business. He was a career employee who built his record not in domestic sales or research but in running local operations in Asian markets.
Selection
In January 2023 he became President and COO, succeeding Masahiko Uotani, who moved to Chairman and CEO. In the fiscal year before he took office, ended December 2022, consolidated revenue was ¥1,067.3 billion and operating income ¥46.6 billion, half the previous year's ¥100.6 billion. In March 2024 he became Representative Executive Officer, President and COO. The appointment appears to have applied his long experience in the China business to restoring profitability.
Initiatives
Results turned downward after he took office: in the fiscal year ended December 2023 consolidated revenue was ¥973.0 billion and operating income ¥28.1 billion, and in FY ended December 2024 operating income was ¥7.6 billion with a net loss of ¥10.8 billion. In FY ended December 2025 the company booked a goodwill impairment of ¥46.8 billion and a net loss of ¥40.6 billion, a second straight year in the red. Employees fell from 35,318 at the end of December 2022 to 30,540 at the end of December 2024. While pushing structural reform, he stated that the company would not pursue acquisitions for the sake of scale.
Career
Career
Shiseido
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1991 | Joined |
| Nov 2011 | President, Korea Shiseido |
| Jan 2016 | Executive Officer, China Regional |
| Jan 2018 | China Regional, CEO |
| Jan 2023 | President, COO |
| Mar 2024 | Representative Corporate Executive Officer, President, COO |