Hello Kitty’s Creator Has a New CEO, Younger Than Kitty Herself

Tomokuni Tsuji, 31, to head character company Sanrio
He’ll become the youngest CEO among all Topix-listed companies

A Hello Kitty figurine outside the Sanrio Puroland theme park in Tokyo.Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg

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By Shoko Oda

June 12, 2020 at 7:17 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The company behind Hello Kitty has a new boss — and he’s younger than the beloved cat character herself.

Sanrio Co., which owns and licenses Hello Kitty and other characters, is appointing 31-year-old Tomokuni Tsuji as president and chief executive officer. He’ll replace his grandfather, Shintaro Tsuji, the 92-year old founder of the company, on July 1.