Most Powerful Women Asia

Julie Kim

Kiyoshi Ota—Bloomberg/Getty Images
  • Title
    President and CEO
  • Company/Affiliation
    Takeda
  • Country/Territory
    Japan

Julie Kim became president and CEO of Takeda Pharmaceutical in June 2026, the first woman to lead the 245-year-old Japanese drugmaker. Born in Seoul and raised in Ohio, she studied at Dartmouth and Northwestern's Kellogg School before joining Takeda in its $62 billion Shire acquisition in 2019. She went on to run its plasma-derived therapies unit and U.S. business, and now aims to return Takeda to growth within three years.