If the ordinary general meeting of March 25 approves, Yasuhito Hirota will be taking charge of Asics as CEO on March 29. He will be retaining his other titles – president, chief operating officer and representative director – and replacing Motoi Oyama, who is nearing his 11th year in the post. According to the company’s terse press release, the reason for the change is “to move ahead with mid-term Plan 2023” – which Hirota helped formulate – “and increase corporate value.” Oyama agrees, adding: “After becoming Chairman of the board last year, I decided that this would be the correct time to hand over the role of president to Hirota and let him oversee the practical management of the company.” Oyama will remain chairman of the board.
Hirota joined Asics in 2018 after 38 years with another Japanese company, Mitsubishi, where he was most recently executive vice president and head of regional strategy for Japan.
Motoi led Asics in the U.S. and then in EMEA before taking charge of its worldwide operations. He has served as chairman of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI). He is currently its co-chairman, alongside Ames Zheng, president and executive director of Anta Sports Products.
