ZAIKO Corporation is pleased to announce that Kazuhiro Shimada has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective April 1, 2025.

Background and Reasons for Promotion

Mr. Shimada has over 20 years of experience in the entertainment, media, and content industries. While at Universal Music, he promoted the transformation of the music industry brought about by the emergence of new streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify. He then led the operation of global platforms in Japan at Amazon Music and was responsible for overall management as COO at Warner Music Japan.

He joined ZAIKO as an advisor after receiving an offer from founder Marek Nassar. Subsequently, he was involved in management as COO starting in September 2024, working on agile decision-making, organizational reform, and executing flexible management strategies unique to startups.

As he takes on the role of president, Mr. Shimada expressed his enthusiasm by saying, “I want to leverage my past experiences to promote ZAIKO's further growth and global expansion, and to create new entertainment experiences utilizing technology.”

 Kazuhiro Shimada's Biography 

After graduating from the London School of Economics in 1996, he joined Mitsubishi Corporation. In 2010, he became Executive Officer of Universal Music and Head of Business Affairs. He has served as Managing Director of Digital Business and Commercial Affairs. After serving as Director (GM) of Amazon Music Japan, he was appointed COO of Warner Music Japan in 2022. In September 2024, he assumed the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of ZAIKO.