File Photo/NBD

Uniqlo, Japan's largest clothing brand and one of the world's most popular fast-fashion giants, has a new CEO: Daisuke Tsukagoshi. Tsukagoshi, who has been with Uniqlo for over 20 years, is seen as a rising star in the company and is credited with helping to expand Uniqlo's overseas business, including in the United States, where the brand had previously struggled.

Tsukagoshi was born in Tokyo in 1979 and graduated from the University of Tokyo with a law degree. He worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company before joining Uniqlo in 2002. He has held a variety of roles at the company, including marketing, brand strategy, and e-commerce.

In 2019, Tsukagoshi was appointed CEO of Uniqlo's international business and head of the North American division. At the time, Uniqlo's US business was losing money. Tsukagoshi took a number of steps to turn things around, including investing in marketing and advertising, introducing new products that appealed to American consumers, and improving store operations.

As a result of Tsukagoshi's efforts, Uniqlo's US business returned to profitability in 2022. He has also been responsible for the growth of Uniqlo's overseas business in other regions, such as Canada, Europe, and Australia.

Tsukagoshi's appointment as Uniqlo CEO is seen as a sign that he is being groomed to take over the company from founder Tadashi Yanai. Yanai will remain chairman of the board and CEO of Uniqlo's parent company, Fast Retailing.