Nintendo is bringing more diversity to its board of directors.
The Video game giant, in its most recent earnings report, announced plans to appoint three women to its board of directors. Miyoko Demay, Eiko Osawa and Keiko Akashi were appointed as the proposed new directors, scheduled to start on June 27.
If approved, they will join Asa Shinkawa, who became the first woman to join Nintendo’s board of directors in 2020. Before that, no women had served on Nintendo’s senior management board. company since its founding in 1889.
Demay is a longtime senior executive at Tiffany & Co. in Japan, served as president and senior executive of luxury strategy and operations.
Osawa worked for several companies—including Asahi and Ernst & Young—and worked as a tax accountant. She is currently an external auditor for EXEO Group. Akashi, who is also an auditor, worked for the Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau for many years. Osawa and Akashi will join as members of Nintendo’s audit and oversight committee.
The company, in 2021, announced the establishment of “Nintendo Women and Allies Initiative” aims to advance the careers of women there, describe it is “Supporting and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion for women through leadership, networking and professional development opportunities.”
However, in their 2023 annual report, they admitted the company is still around Something of a boys’ club, with women occupying only 4.2% of management roles. Additionally, the report found that women at Nintendo earn about 72% of what men earn. The company said it was due to differences in people’s working hours at the company.
