GLOBIS President Yoshito Hori Appointed as Member of the Board of Directors for Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, Inc.

June 7, 2024

CATEGORIES:GLOBIS GROUP

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Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo—Japanese entrepreneur Yoshito Hori, founder and president of GLOBIS, has been appointed as a member of the Board of Directors for Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, Inc. on June 6, 2024. Hori will contribute to the continuing success of DJE Holdings’ portfolio of brands, including Edelman, Zeno and Ruth, by leveraging his extensive business experience both in Japan and overseas.

DJE Holdings, Inc. is a portfolio of interdependent companies and divisions that provide brands and businesses with a full suite of communications solutions. The company is headquartered in Chicago, the United States. The company is led by Chairman Richard Edelman, with whom Hori has enjoyed a more than a decade-long working relationship. Hori has been invited as a speaker to the Edelman Trust Barometer panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos on numerous occasions.

GLOBIS and Edelman have frequently collaborated in various areas, including organizing joint seminars in Japan and disseminating findings from the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, the well-respected trust and credibility survey. In 2022 Richard Edelman joined Hori for a seminar titled “The Enigma of Low Trust in Japan.” GLOBIS has also had the pleasure of receiving representatives from Edelman at G1 events going back as far as 2011.

Hori joins a distinguished roster of thought leaders from diverse backgrounds and industries, including Steven Felsher, former CFO of Grey Advertising; George Hornig, former COO of Deutsche Bank U.S.; Helle Thorning Schmidt, former Prime Minister of Denmark; Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, former Defense Minister of Germany; Deborah Grant, President and CEO of Corporate Playbook; Rick Levin, former President of Yale University; and Mainardo de Nardis, former global CEO of OMD Worldwide, Aegis Media, and MEC.

Comment from Yoshito Hori

When I received the offer to join Edelman’s board as a non-executive director, I decided to accept for three reasons: relationship, potential to contribute, and my personal development.

Since we first met in Davos ten years ago, Richard and I have maintained a deep relationship, both professionally and privately. Our friendship developed when he was my senior at Harvard Business School, and we continued our exchange on occasions like the “Edelman Trust Barometer” panel discussions in Davos and Japan. Likewise, Richard attended G1 Global and G1 Silicon Valley and joined GLOBIS’ Leader’s Challenge dialogue format.

On a more personal level, he and his wife recently came to watch an Ibaraki Robots game with me, and afterward, we went out for dinner and drinks.

As the only Asian on the current board of directors, I am convinced that I can become a bridge between Japan, Asia, and the world, and bring a diverse range of perspectives to Edelman’s management. Furthermore, I am looking forward to being able to learn from DJE Holdings’ expertise in management methods and the latest PR and communications techniques, resulting in their rapid growth in recent years.

Going forward, I will be participating in board meetings every quarter.

About Yoshito Hori

Yoshito Hori is the founder and president of GLOBIS University, the No.1 business school in Japan. He is also a founding partner of GLOBIS Capital Partners, the No.1 venture capital firm in Japan, and president of the G1 Institute, a platform to create a better Japan. His other roles include founder of the KIBOW Foundation, a project to support the revitalization after the Great Tohoku Earthquake; owner of the Ibaraki Robots, a professional basketball team in his hometown of Mito; owner of the LuckyFM Ibaraki Broadcasting System, Ibaraki’s only prefecture-wide media company; and producer of LuckyFes, an annual music festival held in Mito. He received his BS in engineering from Kyoto University and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Comment from Richard Edelman

Yoshito’s remarkable track record of entrepreneurial success and his deep understanding of global markets make him an invaluable addition to our board. His vision and leadership will undoubtedly enhance our strategic decision-making as we navigate the evolving landscape of the industry, client demands and relationship with our employees.

About Richard Edelman

Richard Edelman is the CEO of Edelman, a global communications firm, and Chairman of Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, the firm’s holding company. Now in his 26th year as CEO, Richard is one of the longest tenured agency leaders in the marketing services industry. Under his leadership he grew DJE Holdings into the largest independent communications holding company worldwide. Richard has extensive experience in marketing and reputation management, having led assignments with major corporations, NGOs and family businesses in over 25 industries around the world. As the creator of the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, Richard has become one of the foremost authorities on trust in business, government, media and NGOs.

In 2022, Richard was inducted into the American Advertising Hall of Fame, the first PR executive to ever earn this honor. In 2019, Richard was named the PR Agency Professional of the Past 20 Years by PRWeek and was inducted into the publication’s Hall of Fame; in 2014, Richard was inducted into the Arthur W. Page Society’s Hall of Fame; Advertising Age named him Agency Executive of the Year in 2008.
He serves on the Board of Directors of the Ad Council, the Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), the Atlantic Council, Project HOOD, P33, the Gettysburg Foundation, and the 9/11 Museum. He is a member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, World Economic Forum and PR Seminar.
Richard earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1978 and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College in 1976.

About Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, Inc.

Edelman is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Its 6,000 people in more than 60 offices deliver communications strategies that give its clients the confidence to lead and act with certainty, earning the trust of their stakeholders. Edelman’s honors include PRWeek’s Global Agency of the Year (2023); PRovoke’s Global Agency of the Year (2022); Cannes Lions Grand Prix awards for PR (2016) and the Entertainment Lions for Sport (2021); a Gold Lion in the Brand Experience & Activation category (2023); a Gold Lion in the Sustainable Development Goals category (2022); Cannes Lions Independent Agency of the Year for the Entertainment Track (2021); Cannes Lions Co-Independent Agency of the Year for the Good Track (2022); and Advertising Age’s 2019 A-List. Since the company’s founding in 1952, it has remained an independent, family-run business. Edelman owns specialty companies Edelman Data x Intelligence (research, data), Edelman Smithfield (financial communications), Edelman Global Advisory (advisory), and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle).

About GLOBIS

Since its foundation in 1992, GLOBIS has fostered a vision to create and innovate societies by fostering management ecosystems of people, capital, and knowledge. Today, the company is involved in a range of activities, from higher education and corporate training to venture capital. GLOBIS also operates the G1 Institute and the KIBOW Foundation, both non-profit organizations to promote creativity and innovation in society. The GLOBIS MBA and corporate training programs are offered both online and in person across Japan, China, Singapore, Thailand, the USA, Belgium, and the Philippines. GLOBIS University is the proud home of Japan’s largest MBA and is rapidly growing to claim this title for all of Asia.