Lisa Yamai, the CEO and designer of popular Japanese outdoor brand Snowpeak, has resigned following a cheating scandal. After becoming pregnant with a married man’s child, she has stepped down with immediate effect.
Yamai is the granddaughter of Snowpeak’s founder Yukio, and took over from her father as CEO in 2020. She’s credited with successfully bringing the outdoor brand to a more fashion-minded customer and has established it as one of the leading utilitarian labels of the moment.
Japan is notoriously unforgiving when it comes to public infidelity in the spotlight, so while it’s not entirely surprising that Yamai has quit (or was made to quit), it throws into light how unfair and outdated the country’s conventions can be.
This press release from the brand’s website details that her father has paid back part of his salary to the company. It ends with: “We take this incident very seriously, deeply regret it, and offer our sincerest apologies to all concerned.”
I never understood why morality and public perception plays such an important role in Japanese business. Who cares if she had an affair with someone? What does that have to do with the business? Does the average consumer even know about the affair or even care? Do the shareholders? It just always seemed ridiculous to me.
>Japan is notoriously unforgiving when it comes to public infidelity
Japan to develop underwater drones to lay, remove sea mines https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/11/5eb14da771c2-japan-to-develop-underwater-drones-to-lay-remove-sea-mines.html
3 comments
Lisa Yamai, the CEO and designer of popular Japanese outdoor brand Snowpeak, has resigned following a cheating scandal. After becoming pregnant with a married man’s child, she has stepped down with immediate effect.
Yamai is the granddaughter of Snowpeak’s founder Yukio, and took over from her father as CEO in 2020. She’s credited with successfully bringing the outdoor brand to a more fashion-minded customer and has established it as one of the leading utilitarian labels of the moment.
Japan is notoriously unforgiving when it comes to public infidelity in the spotlight, so while it’s not entirely surprising that Yamai has quit (or was made to quit), it throws into light how unfair and outdated the country’s conventions can be.
This press release from the brand’s website details that her father has paid back part of his salary to the company. It ends with: “We take this incident very seriously, deeply regret it, and offer our sincerest apologies to all concerned.”
I never understood why morality and public perception plays such an important role in Japanese business. Who cares if she had an affair with someone? What does that have to do with the business? Does the average consumer even know about the affair or even care? Do the shareholders? It just always seemed ridiculous to me.
>Japan is notoriously unforgiving when it comes to public infidelity
Only for women.