Takeda Pharmaceuticals has appointed Julie Kim as the first woman to lead the 244-year-old Japanese drugmaker, a rare achievement in senior management in Japan, the world's fourth-largest economy.
Kim, a US citizen and current head of Takeda's US business, will succeed Christophe Weber next year. Weber, who became the company’s first non-Japanese CEO in 2015, will step down, as announced by the company.
Weber oversaw a reorientation that included the $62 billion acquisition of British rival Shire in 2019 but its share price has fallen almost 30 percent over the past five years.
There are only 13 women chief executive officers across the approximately 1,600 top-listed companies in Japan, according to a survey published by Kyodo News last year.
"Takeda is a unique company, and I am deeply honoured to have been chosen to lead it", Kim was quoted as saying in the statement.
Her appointment will be subject to shareholder approval in June 2026.