TAKESHI NIINAMI

Tak Niinami is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Suntory Holdings. As President and CEO from 2014, and later Chairman and CEO in 2025, he led Suntory’s global expansion, increasing sales from JPY 2 trillion to JPY 3 trillion (approximately USD 13 billion to USD 20 billion) and growing operating profit by 2.5 times.

Tak began his career at Mitsubishi Corporation, where he spent 20 years in a variety of management roles. During his tenure, he founded Sodex Corporation (now LEOC Co.), a hospital food services joint venture with France’s Sodexo, which he took public in 1999. Prior to joining Suntory, Tak served as CEO of Lawson, Inc. for 12 years, delivering consecutive increases in revenue and operating profit while transforming Lawson into one of Asia’s leading convenience store operators.

In public service, Tak served on Japan’s Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy from 2014 to 2025, advising four Prime Ministers: Abe, Suga, Kishida, and Ishiba. He also served as Chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai) from 2023 to 2025.

On the global stage, Tak serves as Asia Pacific Chair of the Trilateral Commission and sits on the Global Board of Advisors of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is an active member of the Asia Business Council, where he previously served as Chairman. He is also an active participant in the World Economic Forum, having served on its Leadership Council and as a member of its International Business Council. In addition, he is a member of the Business Council of the United States.

Tak earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Keio University and holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.