Hello Kitty’s new CEO Tomokuni Tsuji is younger than the character herself
- Sanrio’s founder is stepping down aged 92 and handing the reins to his 31-year-old grandson Tomokuni Tsuji
- Tsuji has his work cut out for him as the firm struggles to fuel growth in Europe, the US and Asia
The company behind Hello Kitty has a new boss – and he is younger than the beloved cat character herself.
Sanrio Co., which owns and licenses Hello Kitty and other characters, is appointing 31-year-old Tomokuni Tsuji as president and chief executive officer.
He’ll replace his grandfather, Shintaro Tsuji, the 92-year-old founder of the company, on July 1.
That will make the younger Tsuji the youngest CEO of any Topix-listed Japanese company, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The mouthless cat, created in 1974, was already 14 when he was born.
Family-based successions are still common at Japanese corporations, most notably at Toyota Motor Corp., where CEO Akio Toyoda is the grandson of the automaker’s founder.
The younger Tsuji’s father, Kunihiko Tsuji, had been heir apparent until his sudden death in November 2013.