The new office represents Shiseido’s strategic goal for the region, said Jean-Philippe Charrier, president and CEO of Shiseido Asia-Pacific.
“Our new regional headquarters is testament to our solid growth in Asia Pacific over the past few years and my commitment to our consumers and employees in the years to come,” he said.
“Today is a stepping stone for VISION 2020 and our ongoing achievements,” added Philippe Lesné, president and CEO of Shiseido Travel Retail.
VISION 2020 is Shiseido medium- to long-term strategy for the company’s “over the next 100 years”.
“The future of our organisation, the road ahead for Shiseido Travel Retail is an ambitious one. That’s why we need the right environment to create wonderful offerings for travellers, retailers and partners.”
Prime location
Shiseido chose Singapore for its proximity to key markets, as well as its global status and world-class facilities. “Singapore is a very natural choice. This place is very special because it represents the diversity of consumers in Asia.”
Shiseido moved its APAC headquarters from Tokyo to Singapore in 2016.
“For a Japanese company, taking this step of moving from Tokyo to Singapore is something which takes a lot of courage, a lot of drastic mind-set change,’ said Charrier.
The move has proven to be integral to the company’s growth over the years.
“At that time we envisioned to become more diverse in terms of people. Today, we are very proud of our results. We have been overachieving in our targets in the past three years, we have been gaining market share in many markets in Asia,” said Charrier.
Dedicated facilities
Charrier said that the diversity in Asia spurred the company to open the Asia-Pacific Innovation Centre (APIC).
“Asia is a very different continent, with a lot of diversity…. Our products sometimes need local innovation and adaptation. We want to offer our consumer in Asia products that are customised and tailor made for them.”
APIC is one of the three new facilities housed in the hub. It is one of five innovation centres located globally in Japan, China, France and the US.
Apart from APIC, the hub is home to the Asia Learning Centre (ALC) and the Life Quality Beauty Centre (LQBC).
The ALC is a dedicated training facility with programmes that aim to develop leadership, function-specific and innovation skills and behaviours that are critical in supporting growth.
“Our people are the foundation of the Shiseido Group, we have proudly articulated this with our People First strategy… Our local and regional office allows us to bring to life our group’s mission to inspire life, beauty and culture,” said Lesné.
He expressed his belief in having an inspirational workplace. “It sets the tone for us to think, feel and collaborate.”
Launched for the first time in South East Asia, the LQBC is a facility which provides specialised make-up consultations to consumers with significant skin concerns such as vitiligo, port-wine stains, or changes in appearance due to the side effects of medical treatment, such as cancer treatment.
“We want to do more than sell products in the market, we want to improve the life of people who are suffering from their skin condition,” said Charrier.
The official launch of LQBC is slated for the second quarter of this year.
“I am looking forward to our expanded capabilities in leadership and talent development, innovation and harnessing deeper Asian consumer insights. These will play a critical role in accelerating our growth across the region,” said Charrier.
