People & CultureCOO × CPO Discussion: Behind the Formulation of Our KABEGOE Principles Shaping Kyowa Kirin’s Corporate Culture

The "Strategy" and "Team" are the key elements for realizing Kyowa Kirin Group’s "Vision 2030." The Story for Vision 2030 was formulated in 2024 as a concrete strategy for achieving the vision. Similarly, regarding the "Team" necessary to promote the "Strategy" and realize the vision, building a team that bridges the gap between the ideal state of people and corporate culture and the current situation is required. To robustly drive the global strategy and continuously create life-changing value, the specific actions that each employee should take were articulated in the "KABEGOE Principles," established in 2025.

The KABEGOE Principles were created after extensive discussions among top management, considering the input and perspectives of all employees. Chief Operating Officer (COO) Abdul Mullick and Chief People Officer (CPO) Shoko Itagaki, who led the discussions, share the vision behind the principles, the process that led to their development, and the future they envision moving forward.

Itagaki　Our group is engaged in activities toward the realization of Vision 2030, which is to continuously create and deliver life-changing value that ultimately makes people smile. To make the realization of our vision more certain, we formulated the Story for Vision 2030 in 2024, followed by the KABEGOE Principles in 2025. These have been closely aligned with our key management issues (Materiality) and Annual Business Plans, and we are actively working to put them into practice.

We view talent as the source of our competitiveness and innovation. It was during our efforts to build and develop people and organizations based on this belief that the concept of KABEGOE emerged as a way to achieve our vision. The Corporate Culture Transformation Project, which originated from a thorough reflection on quality issues that occurred in 2019, we defined it ourselves as “stepping out of the comfort zone, embracing challenges, and overcoming barriers.”

KABEGOE is a concept that can become the source of our competitiveness by encouraging new challenges and value creation. We have been working to globally embed it as part of Kyowa Kirin Group’s corporate culture. In fact, employees overseas often speak about KABEGOE. This unique concept became the foundation for discussing the KABEGOE Principles.

We frequently revisited the core concept of “Commitment to Life” throughout the process. Commitment to Life was established through discussions among approximately 1,000 employees at the time of Kyowa Hakko Kirin’s (now Kyowa Kirin) founding in 2008, and it permeates everything from our philosophy to our employees’ actions. Likewise, Commitment to Life and other aspects of our history and DNA live on at the foundation of the KABEGOE Principles; they are not something created by “someone,” but rather something that has emerged from “ourselves.” Each item is equally important for achieving our vision, serving as a guideline for everyone at Kyowa Kirin, from new employees to the CEO, in their daily actions and decisions.

Itagaki　The KABEGOE Principles outline how we at Kyowa Kirin work together, drive transformation, and collectively grow to achieve our vision and pursue further growth beyond it. There is a total of 11 principles, and by each of us embodying them continuously, we will shape and strengthen our KABEGOE Culture.

Mullick　All the principles are important. but I would like to share my thought on “Super Team with Shared Vision.” We have developed some super-strong vertical teams, global functions, and geographies. To truly achieve what we aspire to, it will only happen when we stand together, shoulder to shoulder, aligned behind a common set of goals, bringing our maximum power to achieve them.

Itagaki　While it is important to embody all principles, I will talk about “Ownership.” This principle embodies the key qualities for enterprise leaders, one model of leadership for the coming era, who are essential for realizing our Story for Vision 2030. It means acting not only for one’s own department but also for other departments and for the entire Group. In the spirit of Teamwork/Wa, we never say, “That’s not my job.” I believe this kind of leadership is what we need, and I personally strive to demonstrate it. I also hope that everyone working at Kyowa Kirin will do the same.

Itagaki　In today’s rapidly changing business environment, I believe the KABEGOE Principles will serve as our compass as we reassess what we should do to continuously deliver life-changing value, what our teams and organizations should look like, and how to achieve these goals. We encourage the development of mindsets and the establishment of an environment that empowers frontline leaders to illustrate their own aspirations for achieving our vision for the Company and organization from the standpoint of the Strategy and Team, act autonomously in response to change, and accelerate growth for themselves and those around them. As part of these efforts, we have embedded mechanisms into our global performance management system that allow employees worldwide to refer back to the KABEGOE Principles when setting goals and evaluating actions. We are also incorporating the KABEGOE Principles into the processes for discovering and developing the talent who will lead our Group globally in the future. By continuously operating these systems and maintaining open communication with employees, we aim to foster an environment in which each individual’s practice of the KABEGOE Principles directly contributes to strengthening our corporate competitiveness.

Mullick　I am one of those who was deeply impressed by Commitment to Life. I still vividly remember the first time I saw it—how moved I was, how strongly it resonated with me, and how genuinely excited I felt to work together with wonderful colleagues who share this aspiration to make a difference for “the one and only life.”

I am also very fond of the KABEGOE Principles, that is rooted in this spirit. These principles are something that all of us working across our global group want to practice equally. Each one represents an action we should take to continue growing and delivering value to patients and everyone involved. By sincerely practicing each one of these principles every day, we will cultivate the KABEGOE Culture we aspire to. And I believe this will enable the creation of teams that can powerfully execute our Story for Vision 2030, and realize our vision, ultimately leading to smiles for everyone facing illness.

In order to continue creating and providing value as a Japan-based Global Specialty Pharmaceutical company in the true meaning of the term, and as a member of top management, I will communicate the KABEGOE Principles to our colleagues worldwide, encouraging them to continue putting these principles into action.