Ms Kimie Iwata is Chairman at Japan Institute of Worker’s Evolution.
She graduated from the Faculty of Education at the University of Tokyo and joined the former Ministry of Labor in 1971, where she was engaged in support for working women and international labour issues.
After serving as head of the Equal Employment, Children and Families Bureau at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, she left the Ministry in 2003. In the same year, she joined Shiseido Co., Ltd. She worked as a Director and a Corporate Officer, after which she was appointed the first female Executive Vice President and Representative Director at Shiseido in 2008. During this time, she was been responsible for SCR, H&BC Business Division, Domestic Non-Shiseido Brand Business, Personnel, Consumer Information, Public Relations, and Corporate Culture.
She is a committee member of government councils such as the Gender Equality Bureau, chair of the Working Women’s Empowerment Forum, a member of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, and a counsellor for the Girls Scouts of Japan.
She is on the Board of Directors at Stripe International, Inc., Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd. and Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.
Ms Iwata has extensive experience and numerous achievements in and deep insight into the support for women’s empowerment, diversity, corporate social responsibility (CSR), reform of work patterns, etc. backed by many years of experience in administration and corporate management, and gives advice to the Company’s management and appropriately supervises the execution of operations from objective and professional perspectives.
For all of these reasons, she is believed to be an inspiration to Japanese women and indeed other women across regions.
