Aderans Co., Ltd. President and CEO Yoshihiro Tsumura

Responding to changes in the times, taking on challenges without fear and seizing opportunities

President and CEO of Aderans Co., Ltd.　Yoshihiro Tsumura(Yoshihiro Tsumura)

■ Profile

Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1963. Graduated from the School of Human Sciences at Waseda University. Joined Aderans Co., Ltd. in March 1982. Became Representative Director, President and Group CEO in March 2017 (current position). Certified Hair Diagnostician Instructor of the Japan Hair Science Association (a Cabinet Office-certified incorporated association), member of the Waseda University Marketing Innovation Research Group, a visiting researcher at Kanazawa Institute of Technology, and councilor of the Japanese Society of Nursing Science and Technology.

Aderans celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018. In this milestone year, the company has defied its desire for stability and carried out internal reforms, believing that a venture spirit is the source of growth. As a result, in addition to the hair business that has continued since the company's founding, its beauty business, including eyebrow salons and hair beauty salons, has been well received. We spoke to President Tsumura, who has carried out such major reforms, about the direction the company should aim for.

When I joined Aderans, it was a company that specialized in custom-made wigs for men. At the time, they were looking for hair designers, and I joined the company because I love art and was interested in hair design. There were about 80 new employees, but five of my classmates stayed behind to study. I was one of them. I was particularly bad at perming hair, so I stayed behind to study. The company told me that if I continued like this, it would be difficult to assign me as a technician, so I joined the company because I wanted to work in design, and I practiced hard to improve my technical skills.

I honed my skills by giving free haircuts at nursing homes and care facilities, and by asking people on the street to be my models for haircuts. I was frustrated that my classmates were ahead of me, but I kept working hard to improve my skills, and eventually I even won the Aderans technical competition. I learned that even clumsy people can become good with practice, and that hard work always pays off.

◾️Don't nip employees' potential in the bud

Aderans has had a big vision since its founding: "Aiming to become a global brand, Aderans." The company, which started out in the hair business, has expanded not only in Japan but all over the world, and has also made inroads into the fields of women's wigs and medical care. As part of its CSR activities, the company has also been involved in the "Love Charity" initiative since its 10th year since its founding, in which wigs are donated to children to help them avoid emotional scars caused by their hair problems.

In this milestone year of our 50th anniversary, we have leveraged the technology and know-how we have cultivated in the hair business to enter the beauty, medical, and health wellness industries. When you have beautiful hair, you want to make your face and body beautiful as well. Furthermore, medical care for health care is also necessary.

In this way, in order to expand our business domain, we encourage our employees to take on new challenges. Furthermore, Aderans has more overseas employees than Japanese employees, and we have a culture that allows people to thrive regardless of nationality or race, based on the idea of ​​diversity. The sense of fulfillment that each employee feels is also what motivates me personally.

On the other hand, there are cases where some departments have not made any progress and performance has stagnated. I believe this is a management issue. Managers, relying on their years of knowledge and experience, dismiss their subordinates' opinions, preventing them from becoming more active. The actions of each employee contribute to improved productivity. There is a chance that they may fail. However, in order to survive in these turbulent times, it is important not to nip in the bud the potential of those who boldly take on new challenges.

Aderans has been in business for 54 years because we provide heartfelt hospitality to our customers, based on the philosophy of making people smile through the wellness industry. We want all employees to share ideas, revitalize the company, and be active in their work.

◾️Bring out the beauty of your age

Aderans is committed to originality, which differentiates it from its competitors. We have a brand called View Stage, which handles cosmetics and beauty equipment. The concept is "beautiful in all ages." We believe that true beauty is not just about being young, but about how one ages. We want to support people in staying beautiful at all ages. To achieve this, we need to cooperate with highly specialized institutions and companies and advance research and development.

Since our founding, we have been committed to providing our customers with the best technology, to the point that we have obtained the most intellectual property patents in the Japanese hair-related industry. The beauty industry is a huge industry with a market value of approximately 9 trillion yen, and competition is fierce. However, it is also an attractive industry with many potential customers. As the beauty industry has much untapped territory, we want to find stagnant markets and create the best products. This has led to innovation, transforming the beauty industry from a red ocean into a blue ocean.

I think the beauty industry will become even more polarized in the future. It's no longer easy to win just because you're a large company. You need to make good use of digital marketing and social media to capture the market. If you rely too much on your core business and become conservative, you won't be able to move forward. If you stand still, you'll lose the market in no time. It's important to try new things.

Aderans celebrated its 50th anniversary four years ago. We will continue to take on challenges with a venture spirit, carrying on the will of our founder.

◾️Message

What I want to say to all university students is that age is your greatest asset, and your possibilities are endless. Right now, you may not be able to see what you want to do or what you want to become in the future. But first, take on a challenge. It's important to gain a variety of experiences. These experiences will become part of you and help you see a vision for the future. If you're going to start now, the younger you are, the better.

Student Newspaper Special Edition, July 1, 2022 Issue, Meiji University, 7th Year, Sakai Yaku