TOKYO: Family-owned Suntory Holdings Ltd will appoint its first outsider president, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the century-old Japanese drinks maker accelerates plans to transform itself from local champion to global giant.
Takeshi Niinami, chairman of convenience store operator Lawson Inc, will become president of the Osaka-based company on Oct 1, the sources said yesterday. The appointment comes as Suntory beds in the US$16bil acquisition of Beam Inc, owner of Jim Beam bourbon and other brands, that made it the world’s third-biggest spirits maker earlier this year.