Hiroshi Mikitani: Founder and CEO of Rakuten, Inc.
Hiroshi Mikitani is the founder and CEO of Rakuten, Inc., a top e-commerce company in Japan. A truly inspiring entrepreneur, Mikitani has achieved astonishing success that serves as a testament to his hard-work and impressive capabilities.
Overview of Hiroshi Mikitani and Rakuten, Inc.
Founded by Hiroshi Mikitani in 1997, Rakuten, Inc. is the biggest e-commerce company in Japan. By the year 2020, Rakuten had become the fourth-largest e-commerce company in the world and had over 16 million customers and 30,000 employees across 75 countries and regions.
The success of Rakuten can be traced back to Mikitani’s vision and his continual efforts to innovate and think outside the box. Throughout his career, Mikitani has focused on fostering technological advancements and creating new digital experiences for customers around the world.
Early Life and Education
Hiroshi Mikitani was born in Kobe, Japan in the year 1965. From early on, he was highly motivated and driven, which allowed him to excel in school. He graduated from the university of Tokyo in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. After graduating, he pursued an MBA from the esteemed Harvard Business School.
Career
Hiroshi Mikitani started his career as a consultant at the prominent Boston Consulting Group. He then moved to the corporate world and worked as the director of strategic planning at the Mitsubishi Corporation, where he helped develop their e-commerce business strategy.
In 1997, Hiroshi Mikitani founded Rakuten and since then, he has held the position of the company’s CEO. Under his wise and dynamic leadership, Rakuten was able to quickly gain a foothold in the Japanese market and eventually become the biggest e-commerce company in the country. With time, Rakuten went on to become a global leader as well, competing on a global scale with companies such as Amazon, eBay and Google.
Notable Achievements
Hiroshi Mikitani’s successes can be seen in nearly every aspect of his career. Since founding Rakuten in 1997, he has helped the company become a global leader and achieved a market capitalization of roughly US$17 billion as of 2020.
However, his success doesn’t stop here. Under his leadership, Rakuten has been able to expand its global presence and acquire several international companies. At some point, it owned the popular Viber messaging app and was the official partner of U.S. professional basketball league, NBA.
Philanthropic Work
In addition to his successes in the corporate world, Hiroshi Mikitani is also an active philanthropist. He is the co-founder of the social welfare organization Children of Japan and he has actively supported causes around the world including disaster relief efforts.
In 2018, he made a generous donation to Harvard University for the launch of the Mikitani Global Fellows Program, which aims to train students in the development of global business strategies and prepare them for working in the global economy.
Key Traits of Hiroshi Mikitani
Innovative
One of the most notable traits of Hiroshi Mikitani’s personality is his willingness to innovate. He is always looking for opportunities to continuously improve services and to ensure that customers have the best possible experience.
Determined
Hiroshi Mikitani is renowned for his relentless focus and determination. Despite the odds, he followed through on his vision of creating an e-commerce empire, and ultimately succeeded.
Ambitious
Mikitani’s ambition has helped him reach the heights of success. By striving for excellence and continuously pushing himself, he was able to achieve global recognition and make Rakuten into a globally competitive company.
Hiroshi Mikitani is an undeniable success story and an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs around the globe. His relentless focus and tremendous ambition has helped him achieve remarkable success, which serves as a clear message to others that anything is achievable with the right attitude.
