GENDA Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and Chairman of the Board: Nao Kataoka, Representative Director and President: Mai Shin; hereinafter “Company”) announces that, based on the deliberations and report of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, our Board of Directors has resolved regarding the changes in Representative Directors and President at a meeting held today as follows. Besides, we also announce the new management structure after the closing of the 7th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders as follows. This matter will be officially determined after the appointment of directors and corporate auditors is approved at the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled on April 25, 2025.
The Company has set the aspiration of “More fun for your days” and aims to build a global entertainment network and increase the “total amount of fun” distributed throughout the world to achieve this aspiration.
Since its establishment in 2018, the Company has achieved dramatic growth under the leadership of Kataoka and Shin, who are co-founders and representative directors. Besides, Taiju Watanabe, who is Director CFO and has led financing including IR since before the Company got listed, and Kohei Habara, who is Director CSO and has headed all M&A transactions since the establishment, have become able to lead the whole company in line with the two representatives. This time, we are pleased to announce the appointment of them to the position of Managing Director. In addition, we have promoted Kazuhiro Ninomiya, who is Head of Amusement Arcade Business, to Director and we will strengthen our structure to lead the management from a business perspective as well.
We recognize that it is important to avoid making the organization rigid and maintain flexibility in the management structure in order to grow sustainably and increase the enterprise value. Shin, who is Representative Director and President, has believed from a long-term perspective that it is important to promote the transfer of the management at the right timing for development of an organization.
At the start of the third fiscal year after the Company went public in July 2023, while the M&A pipeline is the largest ever in terms of value and further acceleration of growth is anticipated, we are aware that we should make a big change in this time of business strength and have decided to change the management structure including the change of Representative Director and President at this timing. Shin will step down from her position as Representative Director and President, and her co-founder, Kataoka, will take over her duties. Shin will keep providing logistic support to the management as a director of the Company.
Under the extremely favorable business environment, as “GENDA, an aggregation of professionals,” the Company will build a stronger organizational structure and head for a new phase of growth. Under the leadership of Kataoka, who will become Representative Director and President, we will aim to increase our enterprise value with a new management structure that includes Watanabe and Habara, who lead GENDA’s competitive advantage in “financing” and “M&A.”
We will keep striving to achieve sustainable growth to meet the expectations of our stakeholders including shareholders and investors. Your ongoing support would be highly appreciated.
■ Management Structure with effect from April 25, 2025 (planned)
| Name | Position (planned) | |
| Nao Kataoka | Representative Director and President | – |
| Taiju Watanabe | Managing Director CFO | Promotion |
| Kohei Habara | Managing Director CSO | Promotion |
| Yuzo Sato | Director, CCO and Head of Contents & Promotion Business | – |
| Kazuhiro Ninomiya | Director, Head of Amusement Arcade Business | Newly appointed |
| Mai Shin | Director | – |
| Noriko Shimazu | Outside Director (Independent) | Newly appointed |
| Mariko Hayashi | Outside Director (Independent) | Newly appointed |
| Kanako Tajiri | Outside Director | – |
| Keiichi Ibata | Full-time Outside Auditor (Independent) | – |
| Koji Itagaki | Outside Auditor (Independent) | – |
| Yuka Matsubara | Outside Auditor (Independent) | – |
| Kensuke Kunimi | Outside Auditor (Independent) | Newly appointed |
※Ms. Aya Nomura will leave the board because her term of office will expire.
■ Name and Brief summary of career of Candidates for Newly Appointed Director and Newly Appointed Corporate Auditor
| Name | Brief summary of career |
| Kazuhiro Ninomiya | April 2018 Executive Officer, Facility Sales Division Manager, Bandai Namco Amusement Inc. April 2019 Executive Officer, Division Manager, International Business Division, Bandai Namco Amusement Inc. April 2020 Managing Director of Namco UK Ltd. and Director of Namco USA Inc. April 2021 Joined the Company, CSO August 2021 Director, General Manager of Product Planning Division, GENDA SEGA Entertainment Inc. (currently GENDA GiGO Entertainment Inc.) April 2023 Representative Director and President, GENDA GiGO Entertainment Inc. (present) September 2023 Executive Officer, Head of Amusement Arcade Business of the Company (present) |
| Mariko Hayashi | January 1986 Won the 94th Naoki Prize for “The Last Flight Home” and “To Kyoto” January 2011 Won Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur November 2018 Won Medal with Purple Ribbon May 2020 President, Japan Writers’ Association (present) July 2022 Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Nihon University (present) |
| Kanako Tajiri | December 2008 Joined Mori Hamada & Matsumoto July 2014 Seconded to Deposit Insurance Corporation of Japan January 2020 Council, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto November 2021 Outside Corporate Auditor, Digital Data Solutions, Inc. September 2022 Independent Outside Director and Audit Committee Member of Digital Data Solutions, Inc. April 2023 Corporate Auditor, Nadia Corporation (present) January 2024 Partner, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto (present) |
| Kensuke Kunimi | July 2001 Part time, Chuo Aoyama Audit Corporation September 2001 CPA Excellent Partners Co., Ltd. (present) August 2011 Member of the Board, Tokyo CPA Accounting College, Head of CPA classes (present) April 2015 Representative Director, CPA Career Support Co., Ltd. May 2023 Representative Director, CKA Co., Ltd. (present) |
■ For details, please refer to the Company’s timely disclosure.
■ GENDA Corporate Overview
■ GENDA Corporate outline
“More fun for your days”
To realize this Aspiration, GENDA is an entertainment company that aims to build a global entertainment network and increase the “total amount of fun” distributed throughout the world. We operate a wide range of businesses in entertainment, including Amusement, Karaoke, Character Merchandising, Food & Beverage and Contents & Promotions (movies, interactive contents, etc.). We operate approximately 800 amusement arcades such as “GiGO” and the karaoke chain “Karaoke BanBan” in Japan and abroad, as well as approximately 11,000 mini-locations (non-staffed gaming corners). We operate in Japan, the United States, mainland China, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, Vietnam and the Netherlands.
Company name: GENDA Inc.
Representative: Representative Director and Chairman of the Board Nao Kataoka, Representative Director and President Mai Shin
Established: May 2018
Location: 17F Tokyo Shiodome Building, 1-9-1 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Web site: https://genda.jp/en
GENDA IR page: https://genda.jp/en/ir