It was reported by Tokyo Sports that NJPW has hired its first non-Japanese President in Harold Meij. Here is a translation of the article:
Mr. Meij is a businessman from the Netherlands who used to be a boys term in Japan [if anyone can clarify this sentence for us, it would be great]. After leading many companies such as Japan Coca-Cola, in June 2015 he took office as president of toy maker “Takara Tomy”. It is known as a leading player who converted the company that was a deficit manager into a surplus.
On the other hand, it has the aspect of a large professional wrestling fan. After leaving Takara Tomy Co. at the end of last year, he was consulted with Takaaki Kizutani owner (57), who has friendship, as president of NJPW. Katsuhiko Harada officially approved at the general shareholders’ meeting on June 23 and is expected to take over as president from Katsuhiko Harada as new president on June 1.
Mr. Meij is the first foreign-born president in his ninth generation in the history of the first president, Mr. Antonio Inoki. The New Japan Pro is an organization of world number two after the United States · WWE, and in recent years it has also made a big match in the mainland of the United States. Mr. Meij has abundant marketing experience and is a well-respected brand reinforcement “professional manager”. Further leap and development in domestic and overseas is expected with its skill.
Harold George Meij was born December 4, 1963, from the Netherlands. He spent his childhood in Japan and the United States, and joined Heineken Japan (currently Heineken / Kirin) in 1987 after completing graduate school at New York University. After joining Japan Coca-Cola Japan Vice President (currently Unilever Japan), after joining Sunstar, I will serve as vice president. Taken in Takara Tomy in March 2014, assumed the president in June 2003. We changed our company, which was operating in the red, to a profitable business and achieved a V-shaped recovery, and left the company at the end of 2005.
Meij joined TOMY in 2014, took the company from their biggest loss year in 2014 to their most profitable year ever in 2017. After leaving TOMY, he was tapped by Bushiroad President Takaaki Kidani for an executive role in NJPW. He is expected to begin as President next month. pic.twitter.com/GLDxLFTbhB
— Evan (@EvanDeadlySinsW) May 13, 2018