Line's 'chief wow officer' Jungho Shin is made co-chief executive
Japanese messaging app Line has announced Jungho Shin, its chief wow officer (CWO), will take on the additional role of co-chief executive from April 1.
Shin will now also focus on bolstering the competitiveness of Line’s services and promoting innovation.
Shin was appointed CWO in February 2019 to focus on improving service competitiveness and user experience of Line’s services.
He will now also focus on bolstering the competitiveness of Line’s services and promoting innovation, while chief executive and president Takeshi Idezawa will focus on the management side, as well as revenue, organizational structure, human resources, and recruitment.
The platform said the decision was made during the company's board meeting and added Shin's new appointment as co-chief executive comes as the company moves towards its next stage of development.
It added that by having Idezawa and Shin commit to their respective areas of expertise under this new structure, the aim is to strengthen and enhance its management structure, enable nimbler decision-making, and deliver services that will accelerate its growth, both in Asia and globally.
Line began its “second growth phase” this year, moving into new business domains such as FinTech, AI, and blockchain. It has invested $182m (JPY 20bn) into its mobile payment business, Line Pay, in a bid to shift the company’s fortunes.