Ryohin Keikaku
Ryohin Keikaku, the parent company of Japanese lifestyle brand MUJI, has announced that its Chairman of the Board, Nobuo Domae, will step down following the shareholders meeting scheduled for November 23.
Domae joined Ryohin Keikaku in 2019, initially serving as Executive Director and General Manager of the Business Division. He was promoted to Senior Managing Director in September 2020 and assumed his current position in 2024.
Prior to joining Ryohin Keikaku, Domae served as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Fast Retailing, the parent company of Uniqlo.
Born in 1969 in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Domae earned a graduate degree from the University of Tokyo and joined McKinsey Japan in 1993. He joined Fast Retailing in 1998 and was appointed to the board within two months. The following year, he was promoted to General Manager. Along with Genichi Tamatsuka (President and COO of Fast Retailing in 2002, currently President of LOTTE Holdings) and Takashi Sawada (Executive Vice President of Fast Retailing in 2002, currently Vice Chairman of FamilyMart’s board), Domae became one of the three core executives at Fast Retailing, second only to founder Tadashi Yanai. In 2004, Domae was promoted to Executive Vice President, solidifying his position as Yanai’s right-hand man.
As for board successors, Ryohin Keikaku has nominated current Senior Executive Directors Takahiro Miyazawa and Jun Yokohama as candidates. Towa Higashi, currently an outside director at SOMPO Holdings and Honda Motor, has been nominated as an outside director. In addition to Domae, current outside director Masayoshi Yagyu also plans to step down from the board.
JINS
Japanese eyewear retailer JINS Holdings has appointed Ryo Tanaka as its new President, effective after the shareholders meeting on November 27.
Tanaka is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of JINS. Upon assuming the new role, he will succeed his father, Hitoshi Tanaka, who will transition to Chairman of the Board.
Despite the leadership change, Hitoshi Tanaka will continue overseeing overall business operations and focus on the company’s long-term development.
Born in 1985, Ryo Tanaka previously worked at Mizuho Bank and lifestyle service company Feel Good. He joined JINS Holdings in April 2017. In December 2023, he succeeded Hitoshi Tanaka as President of the core brand JINS and became the group’s COO in December 2024.
BOLD
BOLD, the corporate venture capital fund of L’Oréal Group, has appointed Arnaud Autret as Investment Director for Europe.
Autret will be based in Paris and lead the company’s startup investment activities in the European market. This appointment supports L’Oréal’s open innovation strategy across the region, expanding its reach into biotech, AI, and sustainability-driven beauty innovations.
Autret holds a PhD in Immunology from the Pasteur Institute and a Master’s in Finance from ESCP Europe. He previously served as Head of European Investments at Illumina Ventures and was an Investment Director at M Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of German tech firm Merck.
He also worked at French venture capital firm Seventure Partners as a Senior Associate, investing in life sciences companies across microbiome applications, digital health, and medtech. Earlier in his career, he was an audit associate for the healthcare division at KPMG.
Lenzing
Austrian textile giant Lenzing has appointed Milena Ioveva as Vice President.
In her new role, Ioveva will oversee four key functions: corporate communications, sustainability, investor relations, and public affairs.
Ioveva brings extensive experience in these areas. She previously served as Director of Communications and Strategy at Porr Group and led investor relations at Vienna-based construction group UBM.
H&M
Swedish fast fashion giant H&M has appointed Karen O’Rourke as General Manager for the UK and Ireland.
O’Rourke will succeed Henrik Nordvall and oversee one of H&M’s most critical markets worldwide, aiming to drive local growth, enhance brand image, and expand the customer base. H&M currently operates over 200 physical stores and various digital platforms in the region, employing around 7,000 people.
O’Rourke has more than 25 years of experience with H&M Group and brings deep retail expertise and leadership skills. Starting from entry-level roles, she has held 14 different positions across store operations, regional management, marketing, and global headquarters. Most recently, she was Head of Sales Markets for the Nordic region, where she led cross-functional teams to improve customer experience and drove business growth across multiple areas.
Bazarchic
Julien Le Bec has been appointed CEO of fashion e-commerce platform BazarChic, owned by Hong Kong-based asset management firm AA Investments.
Le Bec was most recently COO of Smallable, where he worked for nearly seven years, previously serving as CFO. Smallable is a retailer focused on family fashion and lifestyle, which entered liquidation in July 2024 before being acquired by AA Investments. Le Bec has also held roles at Blackpills, Salt Mobile, and Deloitte.
BazarChic, founded in 2006 and formerly part of French department store Galeries Lafayette, once boasted 2 million active members. However, it has struggled to keep pace with competitors in recent years. In 2024, its revenue fell to €38.6 million, with a net loss of approximately €10 million and total liabilities of €45 million. In December 2024, Galeries Lafayette officially announced plans to shut down or sell BazarChic. The platform was acquired by AA Investments in spring 2025, following the firm’s earlier acquisitions of Wethenew, Smallable, and L’Exception.
｜Source: Official Press Releases, Fashion Network
｜Image Credit: Company Websites, Personal Social Media Accounts
｜Editor: LeZhi
