Maruho Co., Ltd. has announced that its Board of Directors has named Atsushi Sugita representative director, president and CEO. Japan-based Maruho performs research and development, manufacturing and commercialization of dermatological products.
Sugita received his bachelor's degree in economics from Kyoto University, and went on to obtain an MBA from Northwestern University. He then joined Maruho in 2012. After holding various positions at Maruho's R&D labs, head office and global subsidiaries, Sugita was elected to the Maruho Board in 2016, becoming senior corporate officer in charge of Global Strategy and Business Development, Finance and Accounting and Human Resources.
Sugita was appointed executive corporate officer of Business Operations & Administration in 2018, and then executive vice president in January of 2020.
"Everyone at Maruho is very proud of our 105-year history of stable growth built on the trusting relationships we have with doctors and patients, and I am honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to continue that tradition of success. However, we cannot let past success make us complacent, and certainly the year 2020 has reminded us all how unpredictable the world can be. In order to meet the rapidly changing needs of patients, we must renew our commitment to our corporate vision of 'Excellence in Dermatology' while also exploring creative ways to improve patients' lives, such as development of biologic therapies and expanding our pipeline to include medicines for new therapeutic areas," said Sugita. "We must do more than just adapt to change. We must be a force that drives change and innovation and leads the pharmaceutical industry through these uncertain times. We will strive to become a truly global pharmaceutical company that delivers cutting-edge treatments to patients in Japan and the rest of the world."
Koichi Takagi has served as president & CEO since 1999 and will remain as chairman of the board.
