{"id":9476,"date":"2026-06-08T08:00:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T08:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/?p=9476"},"modified":"2026-06-12T15:21:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T15:21:04","slug":"oki-sato-steps-down-from-nendo-leadership-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2026\/06\/08\/oki-sato-steps-down-from-nendo-leadership-role\/","title":{"rendered":"Oki Sato steps down from Nendo leadership role"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Design studio Nendo<\/a>‘s founder Oki Sato<\/a> has announced that he will hand over leadership of the company to managing director Akihiro Ito, while the role of chief designer “will be entrusted to talented young designers”.<\/span><\/p>\n

The change in leadership, which was announced in a post on Nendo’s Instagram page<\/a>, marks a significant moment at the company, which was founded over two decades ago.<\/p>\n

According to Sato, he took the decision to hand over leadership to Nendo<\/a>‘s managing director and co-founder Ito to enable the company to continue to grow.<\/p>\n

“As we have reflected on how Nendo can continue to grow, evolve, and expand its horizons, I have come to believe that now is the time for a significant transformation,” he said in the statement.<\/p>\n

“I will be passing on the leadership of Nendo to Akihiro Ito, who has shared both the challenges and successes of this journey for many years.”<\/p>\n

Sato to remain “closely involved” in creative work<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sato, who was also Nendo’s creative director, did not name a new chief designer but seemed to reveal that it will be shared by multiple people.<\/p>\n

“At the same time, the role of chief designer will be entrusted to talented young designers who will help shape the future of Nendo,” Sato said.<\/p>\n

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Nendo designed a spherical Olympic cauldron with a hydrogen flame for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, Sato, who founded Nendo in 2002, will remain involved in the company’s creative direction.<\/p>\n

“While I am stepping away from my leadership role, I will remain closely involved in our creative work, supporting Nendo’s projects from a position even closer to the process of making and designing,” he said.<\/p>\n

“This new chapter represents a significant challenge for us,” he continued. “At the same time, I am confident that the diverse perspectives and values of this new generation will open up possibilities for Nendo beyond anything I could imagine alone.”<\/p>\n

Studio behind some of the most high-profile recent projects in Japan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sato has previously spoken of the difficulties facing young designers today, including when it comes to sustainability demands, which he believes we need designers to tackle.<\/p>\n

“It is much harder than when I started out, but this is something that we all need to solve together and we need to enjoy this process as well,” he told Dezeen in a 2024 interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“What is most important is that it’s not just about reusing things, like making a new table using waste materials; it has to have a second life,” he added.<\/p>\n

“I think we need more designers in the world now because there are more problems that we need to solve, and we need to collaborate.”<\/p>\n