News Release

Takeshi Niinami Receives the Global Leadership Award
from The Committee for Economic Development in the U.S.

Takeshi Niinami, president and chief executive officer of Suntory Holdings Limited, has received the Global Leadership Award from The Committee for Economic Development (CED) in the U.S. The award ceremony was held in New York on September 14.

The Global Leadership Award is given to individuals who have made considerable contributions to the people and society of the world through the demonstration of strong leadership, and is one of the Distinguished Performance Awards which the CED gives to top caliber corporate executives and businesspeople. This award is not given often; Niinami is the ninth person to receive it in the CED’s history spanning more than 70 years since its establishment. Moreover, this marks the second time a Japanese national has received the award since the late Yotaro Kobayashi (former Chairman of the board of Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. and former Chairman of the Japan Association for Corporate Executives) received it in 2002.

Niinami was evaluated as suitable for the Global Leadership Award due to his activities as a private sector member of the Council for Industrial Competitiveness and the Council for Economic and Fiscal Policy of the Japanese Government, as well as his achievements as Vice Chairman of the Japan Association for Corporate Executives, and his leadership demonstrated toward the realization of the proposal for sustainable capitalism at the World Economic Forum (the Davos Forum). This is in addition to his track record which includes his furthering of societal contributions at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake as the President of Lawson, Inc., as well as his leadership in driving the post-merger integration of Beam Suntory and his promotion of harmonious co-existence with society and the environment under the vision of “Growing for Good” as the current President of Suntory Holdings Limited,.

● About the CED
The CED was founded in 1942 by a group of business leaders who were concerned about the future of the global economy. It is the largest economic policy organization in the U.S. , consisted mostly of CEOs of American corporations. CED’s work in those first few years led to great policy accomplishments, including the Bretton Woods Agreement, establishing both the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and the Marshall Plan. Today, CED continues to have an impact through its trusted research and advocacy.