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 the board. Miyoko Demay, Eiko Osawa and Keiko Akashi were named as anticipated new directors, with a planned start date of June 27.
If approved, they will join Asa Shinkawa, who became the first woman to join Nintendo’s board in 2020. Prior to that, no women had been a part of the company’s senior management since its founding in 1889.
Demay is a long-time senior executive at Tiffany & Co.’s Japan offices, having served as president and senior executive of luxury strategy and operations.
Osawa has worked for a number of firms—including Asahi and Ernst & Young—and served as a tax accountant. She’s currently an outside 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 supervisory committee.
The company, in 2021, announced the formation of a “Nintendo Women and Allies” initiative to promote women’s careers there, describing it as “Supporting and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion for women through leadership, networking and professional development opportunities.”
However, in its 2023 annual report, it acknowledged the company was still something of a boy’s club, with women filling just 4.2% of its manager roles. In addition, the report found women at Nintendo made about 72% of what men earned. The company said that was because of differences in the length of time people had worked for the company.
