Ajinomoto : Notice of New Structure for Directors (Directors, Corporate Executive Officers) of Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

Notice of New Structure for Directors (Directors, Corporate

Executive Officers) of Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

TOKYO, February 28, 2019 -- Ajinomoto Co., Inc. ("Ajinomoto Co.") announced that a new structure for Directors (Directors, Corporate Executive Officers), starting in late June 2019, was informally approved based on the deliberation/report by the Nominating Advisory Committee chaired by an Outside Director at the meeting of the Board of Directors held on February 28, 2019.

Change in the Directors will be officially decided at the meeting of Board of Directors after the General Meeting of Shareholders, which is to be held in late June this year.

• 1. Purposes 1）Reinforce corporate governance

  Enhance capital productivity that leads to sustainable growth centering on ASV. 2）Display leadership toward implementing the next Medium-Term Management Plan

  Realize restructuring of growth strategy through assets right management in the Medium-Term

  Management Plan starting in FY 2020.

  3）Facilitate diversity and alternation of generations

  Part of a successor plan including Chief Executive Officer, etc.

• 2. Summary 1）Reinforce supervisory functions by an increase in Directors (nonexecutive).

Newly appoint nonexecutive Directors elected internally.

[Role of Director (nonexecutive)]

• (a) Members of internally important committees such as the Management Foundation Advisory Panel * and the Nominating Advisory Committee

  *It is a subordinate organ of the Board of Directors, which is chaired by the Chief Executive Officer, and strives to reinforce the management function (foundation) across the Group.

• (b) Directors in charge of supervising significant affiliated companies acquired through M&A in recent years (expected to be five companies as of the end of June 2019)

The total number of Directors stays nine (9), and five (5) out of nine (9) shall be nonexecutive Directors including the Chairman of the Board from henceforth.

2）Appointment of Chief Digital Officer (CDO)

[Role of CDO]

(a) Pursue operation efficiency by digital transformation alongside with the facilitation of assets light management.

(b) Combine the technology capability of the Company with big data analysis and small mass marketing, and oversee and take a lead in the progress of value creation.

3 ） Appoint candidates for the First Female Inside Director and non-Japanese Corporate Vice

President

Candidates for Female Inside Director: There are two (2) female candidates in total together with a candidate for an Outside Director.

Candidates for non-Japanese Corporate Vice President: Expected to be appointed as General Manager, AminoScience Division

The summary of the deliberation by the Nominating Advisory Committee is as follows (six meetings of the Nominating Advisory Committee were held this fiscal year):

(a) In December 2018, the Nominating Advisory Committee specified the capacity requirement, centering on "capability to ensure ASV," determined in selecting executive management including Chief Executive

Officer.

(b) Based on this, the Nominating Advisory Committee conducted evaluations of candidates based on performance evaluation and work experience. Moreover, the Committee recommended appropriate candidates to the Board of Directors considering a perspective of fostering future CEOs, diversity progress including gender or internationality of the posting and composition of executive management.

[Dated late June] Directors

New Position	Current Position	Name
Representative Director, President & Chief Executive Officer	Representative Director, President & Chief Executive Officer	Takaaki Nishii
Representative Director, Member of the Board & Corporate Executive Deputy President, Chief Digital Officer (CDO)	Representative Director, Member of the Board & Corporate Senior Vice President	Hiroshi Fukushi
Representative Director, Member of the Board & Corporate Senior Vice President	Member of the Board & Corporate Senior Vice President	Masaya Tochio
Member of the Board & Corporate Vice President	Corporate Vice President	Chiaki Nosaka (Newly appointed)
Chairman of the Board	Representative Director, Chairman of the Board	Masatoshi Ito
Member of the Board	Representative Director, Member of the Board & Corporate Senior Vice President	Etsuhiro Takato
Outside Director	Outside Director	Yasuo Saito
Outside Director	Outside Director	Takashi Nawa
Outside Director	Kimie Iwata (Newly appointed)

[Dated late June] Retiring Directors

Current Position	Name
Takeshi Kimura	Member of the Board & Corporate Vice President
Sakie T. Fukushima	Outside Director

[Dated late June] Corporate Executive Officers

New Position	Current Position	Name
President & Chief Executive Officer	President & Chief Executive Officer	Takaaki Nishii
Corporate Executive Deputy President, Chief Digital Officer (CDO)	Corporate Senior Vice President/ General Manager, AminoScience Division	Hiroshi Fukushi (Promotion)
Corporate Senior Vice President Expected to be reappointed as General Manager, Global Corporate Division and General Manager, Corporate Service Division	Corporate Senior Vice President/ General Manager, Global Corporate Division and General Manager, Corporate Service Division	Masaya Tochio
Corporate Senior Vice President	Corporate Vice President/ Deputy General Manager, AminoScience Division and General Manager, Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals	Hiroyuki Kojima (Promotion)
Corporate Senior Vice President Expected to be appointed as General Manager, Food Products Division	Corporate Vice President/ General Manager, ASEAN Division	Kaoru Kurashima (Promotion)
Member of the Board & Corporate Vice President Expected to be in charge of diversity and HR	Corporate Vice President/ General Manager, Institute of Food Sciences and Technologies, in charge of diversity	Chiaki Nosaka
Corporate Senior Vice President	Corporate Vice President/ General Manager, Institute for Innovation	Kazuya Onomichi
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Vice President/ Deputy General Manager, Food Products Division	Haruo Kurata
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Vice President/ Deputy General Manager, Global Corporate Division and Deputy General Manager, Corporate Service Division, in charge of Work-Style Innovation	Taro Fujie
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Vice President/ General Manager, Latin America Division	Masayoshi Kurosaki
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Solution & Ingredients Dept.	Hiroshi Motoyama (Promotion)
New Position	Current Position	Name
Corporate Vice President Expected to be appointed as General Manager, AminoScience Division	Corporate Executive Officer/ Deputy General Manager, Europe & Africa Division and General Manager, Pharmaceutical Custom Manufacturing Dept.	Gwinnett Bompas (Promotion)
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Executive Officer/ Promasidor Holdings Ltd.	Jiro Sakamoto (Promotion)
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Manufacturing Strategy Dept.	Takayuki Koda (Promotion)
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Tokyo Branch	Narutoshi Fukase (Promotion)
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Specialty Chemicals Dept.	Yoshiteru Masai (Promotion)
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Finance & Accounting Dept. and General Manager, Global Finance Dept.	Tetsuya Nakano (Promotion)
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Corporate Planning Dept.	Tatsuya Sasaki (Promotion)
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Executive Officer/ Deputy General Manager, Food Products Division	Hiroharu Motohashi (Promotion)
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Fellow/ General Manager, Material & Technology Solutions Labs., Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals	Hiroshi Shiragami (Newly appointed)
Corporate Vice President	Corporate Fellow/ General Manager, North America Division	Tatsuya Sato (Newly appointed)
Corporate Executive Officer	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Group Procurement Center	Masahiro Tani
Corporate Executive Officer	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Consumer Foods & Seasonings Dept.	Chika Morishima
Corporate Executive Officer	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Production & Technology Administration Center	Koji Tamura
Corporate Executive Officer	Corporate Executive Officer/ President, Ajinomoto Fine-Techno Co., Inc.	Tadahiko Yokota
Corporate Executive Officer	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, R&D Planning Dept.	Junichiro Kojima
New Position	Current Position	Name
Corporate Executive Officer	Corporate Executive Officer/ President, Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition North America, Inc.	Masami Kashiwakura
Corporate Executive Officer	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Food Production & Technology Administration Center	Hideaki Kawana
Corporate Executive Officer	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Human Resources Dept.	Takumi Matsuzawa
Corporate Executive Officer	Corporate Executive Officer/ General Manager, Technology & Development Center, Institute of Food Sciences & Technologies	Masaki Kashihara
Corporate Executive Officer	Corporate Executive Officer/ President, Ajinomoto Althea, Inc.	David Enloe
Corporate Executive Officer	General Manager, Osaka Branch	Takayuki Tahara (Newly appointed)
Corporate Executive Officer	General Manager, Consumer Data Analysis & Business Creation Dept.	Tatsuya Okamoto (Newly appointed)
Corporate Executive Officer	President, AJINOMOTO PHILIPPINES CORPORATION	Ichiro Sakakura (Newly appointed)
Corporate Executive Officer	President, Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc.	Sumio Maeda (Newly appointed)
Corporate Executive Officer	AJINOMOTO DO BRASIL INDUSTRIA E COMERCIO DE ALIMENTOS LTDA.	Toshiyuki Mochizuki (Newly appointed)
Corporate Executive Officer	General Manager, Overseas Foods & Seasonings Dept.	Hiroyuki Teramoto (Newly appointed)
Corporate Executive Officer	President, PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA	Ayumu Kamiya (Newly appointed)
Corporate Executive Officer	Group Manager, Material & Technology Solutions Labs., Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals	Shigeo Nakamura (Newly appointed)