Nobutada Saji

About Nobutada Saji

Saji is chairman of drinks powerhouse Suntory Holdings, which bought Beam, purveyor of Jim Beam and Maker's Mark bourbon, for $16 billion in 2014.

He stepped down as president in 2014, turning the reins over to a non-family member for the first time since the business was founded in 1899.

Saji owns nearly a minority stake in Suntory Holdings, a closely held company. Its Suntory Beverage & Food unit trades on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Saji's nephew Nobuhiro Torii, a great grandson of Suntory's founder, was promoted to COO and executive vice president of Suntory Holdings in 2016.

In 2023, Suntory, which was founded in 1899, celebrated a century since it began building its first whisky distillery, in Yamazaki near Kyoto.