Takeda Announces Candidates for New Directors

Takeda Announces Candidates for New Directors


Calendar
March 31, 2021

OSAKA, Japan, March 31, 2021, --- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) (“Takeda”) today announced candidates for its Board of Directors that will be proposed at the 145th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 29, 2021.

Proposed Change in Directors
Takeda is committed to exercising strong corporate governance practices to promote the long-term interests of shareholders and all its stakeholders as well as strengthening its Board of Directors and management accountability. As part of this commitment, the Board of Directors decided that all members of the Audit and Supervisory Committee will be external directors to further enhance the independence of the Committee. Mr. Yasuhiko Yamanaka, Director, a member of the Audit and Supervisory Committee will retire from his current role effective upon the conclusion of the 145th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders and become an advisor for one year to ensure smooth transition to the Committee consisting of fully external Directors.

Also, Takeda is pleased to nominate Mr. Masami Iijima from Mitsui & Co., Ltd. to join as an External Director who will be a substitute member of the Audit and Supervisory Committee. Joining Mitsui & Co., Ltd. in 1974,  Mr. Iijima has held various senior roles of increasing responsibility, and recently served as Representative Director, Chairman of the Board of Directors. He will continue serve as Director until June 18 when he will be nominated as Counselor. Mr. Masami IIjima is also currently serving as External Director for Ricoh Company, Ltd., SoftBank Group Corp., and Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd., as well as Counsellor of Bank of Japan.

As already announced, Mr. Masato Iwasaki, who started with Takeda in 1985, will transition from the role of president of Japan Pharma Busines Unit to the role of Japan General Affairs on April 1, 2021. Further, the Board of Directors has resolved that upon Mr. Iwasaki’s election as a Director at the 145th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, he will then be appointed as another Representative Director at a Board of the Directors meeting immediately following the 145th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. In his new role as Japan General Affairs, Mr. Iwasaki will chair and coordinate a network representing all of Takeda's functions in Japan to maintain and enhance the Company’s reputation in Japan and to ensure one voice to our external stakeholders in Japan.

Candidates for Directors Who are Not Audit and Supervisory Committee Members

Name

Category

Expected Role

Christophe Weber

Internal

Existing

Representative Director,
President & Chief Executive Officer

Masato Iwasaki

Internal

Existing

Representative Director, Japan General Affairs

Andrew Plump

Internal

Existing

Director, President, Research & Development

Constantine Saroukos

Internal

Existing

Director, Chief Financial Officer

Masahiro Sakane

External

Existing

External Director, Chair of the Board Meeting
Chair of the Nomination Committee

Olivier Bohuon

External

Existing

External Director
Member of the Compensation Committee

Jean-Luc Butel

External

Existing

External Director
Member of the Nomination Committee

Ian Clark

External

Existing

External Director
Member of the Compensation Committee

Yoshiaki Fujimori

External

Existing

External Director
Member of the Compensation Committee

Steven Gillis

External

Existing

External Director
Member of the Nomination Committee

Shiro Kuniya

External

Existing

External Director

Toshiyuki Shiga

External

Existing

External Director
Member of the Nomination Committee


Candidate for Director Who is Audit and Supervisory Committee Member

Name

Category

Expected Role

Masami Iijima

External

New

External Director, Audit and Supervisory Committee Member


The following three Directors who are Audit and Supervisory Committee members were elected at the 144th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held in 2020 and their terms of office will continue until the 146th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held in 2022.

Name

Category

Role

Koji Hatsukawa

External

Existing

External Director, Chairperson of Audit and Supervisory Committee

Emiko Higashi

External

Existing

External Director, Audit and Supervisory Committee Member
Chair of the Compensation Committee

Michel Orsinger

External

Existing

External Director, Audit and Supervisory Committee Member
Member of the Nomination Committee


About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE: 4502/NYSE: TAK) is a global, values-based, R&D-driven
biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments, guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Genetic and Hematology, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI). We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people’s lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.

Media Contacts:
Japanese Media
Kazumi Kobayashi
[email protected]
+81 (0) 3-3278-2095

Media Outside Japan
Holly Campbell
[email protected]
+1 617-588-9013

Attachment

 

Takeda To Appoint Another Representative Director


As detailed below, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) today announced that its Board of Directors has resolved to appoint another Representative Director at a Board of the Directors meeting immediately following the 145th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders where Directors who are not members of the Audit and Supervisory Committee are to be elected to the Board of Directors on June 29, 2021.

 

  1. Reason for the appointment

Takeda has decided to establish a new role to chair and coordinate a network representing all Takeda's functions in Japan to maintain and enhance its reputation in Japan and to ensure one voice to its external stakeholders in Japan.

 

  1. Name and title of new representative director

Name

New Role (anticipated effective date, June 29, 2021)

Prior  Role (appointed on April 1, 2021)

Masato Iwasaki

Representative Director, Japan General Affairs

Director, Japan General Affairs

 

  1. Career summary of new representative director

Date of birth

Career summary, and position and responsibilities at the Company

Number of shares owned

November 6, 1958

April 1985

April 2008


January 2012


April 2012


June 2012

April 2015

April 2021

Joined the company

Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning Department of the Company

Head of CMSO Office, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Inc.

Senior Vice President, Pharmaceutical Marketing Division of the Company

Director of the Company (to present)

President, Japan Pharma Business Unit of the Company

Japan General Affairs

45,996 shares

 

  1. Anticipated Effective Date

June 29, 2021