Kewpie Corporation Representative Director, President and CEO Mitsuru Takamiya

We value society, our friends, and profits, and aim to contribute to health through food.

Representative Director, President and CEO, Kewpie Corporation　Mitsuru Takamiya(Mitsuru Takamiya)

■ Profile

Born in Tokyo in 1961. After graduating from the Graduate School of Tokyo University of Fisheries (now Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology) in 1987, he joined Kewpie Corporation. After working in the Technology Research and Development Division in departments such as developing menus for restaurants and prepared foods and developing mayonnaise, he has been in charge of the Product Development Division, Research Institute, and Marketing Division since 2005. In 2019, he became a Senior Executive Officer, in 2020 he became Representative Director and President of Kewpie Egg Corporation, and in 2022 he became Representative Director and President of Kewpie Corporation, a position he holds to this day.

Before you know it, you'll find many Kewpie products on your dinner table, including mayonnaise, dressing, and pasta sauce. After joining the company in the Technology Research Division and undergoing two career changes, President Mitsuru Takamiya was appointed president last spring. We spoke to him about Kewpie's vision for the future and what people expect from the company.

I grew up in Asakusa, Tokyo, and loved living creatures, so I went on to Tokyo University of Fisheries. I took food processing classes at university, but I spent most of my time working part-time jobs instead of studying. I looked for job openings on the university bulletin board, and did things like tutoring, sorting receipts, and separating crabs in the freezer (laughs).
I relearned my studies after joining the company. For example, about canned food manufacturing. There are many things to learn, such as how much heat is needed to keep food from spoiling, what regulations are in place, and what purpose canned food serves in the first place. During my university days, I wasn't able to study with this sense of purpose in mind. If you keep in mind the purpose of "why this class is necessary," you may find that your approach to class changes.

The future of Kewpie, as envisioned by the president after two turning points

I had a vague desire to work in a field related to food, and after being recommended by a professor in my lab, I joined Kewpie. I had hoped to work in the sales department, but because of my experience researching food hygiene in graduate school, I was assigned to the Technical Research and Development Division after joining the company. I was working with chefs, but as I had no cooking experience, there were many things I didn't understand. For example, do you know the word "aché"? It means to "chop" (onions, etc.), but at the time I had no idea what it meant. I didn't even know the name of the process, and it was difficult to find a sense of purpose in my work.
Two turning points came for me. The first was when I gave a presentation about my research to the company president in my fourth year of working life. He praised my work and said, "Your research is useful to society. And your presentation is interesting, so I want to support you." I felt very happy to hear that he praised my work and that it was valuable.
The second was when I was in charge of Kewpie mayonnaise. At the time, I became so absorbed in my work that I had the illusion that I was at the center of the company (laughs). Later, when I was in my late 40s and involved in new product development, I began to feel more joy in the growth of my colleagues than in my own work.
After these two turning points, I began to find fulfillment in my work and gained experience in a variety of areas, including prepared foods, fine chemicals, and Kewpie Eggs. In the spring of 2022, I was appointed president of Kewpie Corporation.
After taking office, I sent a video message to all employees about the three things I want to achieve.
The first is "Contribute to society through products and services that please our customers." The most important thing is to be useful to someone. We will contribute to society by providing food that makes people feel thankful and delicious.
The second is, "Let's become colleagues who can grow and share joy through work." When the environment becomes tough, we tend to judge things based on the immediate time frame, but it is important to take a broad, long-term view of work, grow, and have a sense of camaraderie that allows us to share joy.
The third is, "Let's become a profitable company." Profits are proof that the value of our products and services has been recognized. We believe that by using those profits to address the environment and invest in the future, we can be even more useful to society.
My fellow employees are currently struggling. The price of vegetable oil, the main ingredient in mayonnaise, has skyrocketed, and is now about three times what it used to be. Furthermore, the situation with eggs is also tough due to the effects of avian flu. Both sales and production are struggling. Fortunately, however, Kewpie has an established brand and products. When I mention my company name to people I meet privately, I've never been asked, "What kind of company is that?" I'm always grateful to my predecessors for helping to nurture such a strong brand and products.
It is especially important that we have established brand recognition, as people rarely compare different foods before buying them. As president, I visit approximately 150 of our group's business locations, encouraging my colleagues by saying, "We have the brand and the products, so we'll be fine! We're in a difficult environment, so let's be confident and stand tall!" I believe that it is my job as president to take a bird's-eye view of the situation and dispel everyone's anxieties.

Proposing a new dining experience, seeking self-realization and expected roles

Kewpie's role is to "contribute to health through food." Founder Toichiro Nakashima, aware that Japanese people tend to have weaker physiques than Westerners, wanted to not only pursue delicious food but also "make Japanese people healthy through food." We believe that we can continue to be of even greater use to society by contributing to health and disease prevention through food.
Furthermore, our corporate message is "Love is at the dining table," but in recent years, with the number of dual-income households increasing and the concept of the dining table changing, we believe it is also necessary to deliver delicious and healthy meals even when eaten alone. We would like to propose dining tables that meet the needs of the times, viewing the dining table as a space where people can come face to face with food and feel happy.
To that end, I tell Kewpie Group employees three things they should be aware of.
The first is "self-actualization." The group has over 1 employees, and there is one question I ask all of them: "What do you want to do?" Many people have a hard time answering this question. However, if you ask them, "What did you want to be when you were in elementary school?", almost everyone can answer. I hope you never forget that feeling. What do you want to do, and how do you show your value? This is something you should hold onto most strongly, both in your work and in your life.
The second is "expected role." There are no people or jobs in the company that are meaningless. In the R&D department, I thought, "I'll be chopping onions," but that was the role that was expected of me. Just being aware of what is expected of you now will make a difference, so I hope you will be mindful of that.
The third is "efforts that overlap self-actualization and expected roles." The ideal situation is one in which both are intertwined and you can demonstrate your strengths. To achieve this, you need to make efforts that meet expectations while also achieving what you want to achieve.
In the future, we will continue to expand overseas and offer new dietary lifestyles. Come join us at Kewpie and contribute to health through food!

Message to university students

I want people to take an interest in a variety of things and take action. Mitsuo Aida once said, "Just take concrete action. If you take concrete action, you will get concrete answers." Since COVID-19 has restricted our activities over the past few years, I want people to take action without hesitation. I believe that taking a step forward will be the catalyst for opening up a new path.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on January 30, 2023 by Yui Takemura, a third-year student at Senshu University