Sunstar Announces Appointment of New Board Members

12 June 2025

Sunstar Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Mayumi Kaneda and Marcel Schmid as new members of its Board of Directors.

Mayumi Kaneda is appointed as the family representative director, marking a generation change for the company.  Mayumi is the eldest child of Hiroo Kaneda, and first joined Sunstar in 1991, leading on various initiatives, including the establishment of the Group Global Headquarters in Switzerland. She has been a Director of the Sunstar Foundation since 2005 and has been a Fellow of the Board of Harvard School of Dental Medicine since 2021. She received her MBA from SDA Bocconi Business School in Italy in 1999.

Marcel Schmid, a corporate governance expert, is appointed to the Board. Marcel brings over 30 years' experience in corporate governance and finance across public and private companies, he has held senior management positions at UBS Investment Banking and DKSH. He holds an MBA from IMD Business School, Lausanne. He is the President of the Swiss-Hong Kong Business Association and a member of the Advisory Board to the Family Governance & Family Office Excellence Program organized by the Europa Institute at the University of Zurich. With this appointment, Hiroo Kaneda and Tamara Minick-Scokalo stepped down from the Board of Directors. We sincerely thank them for their valuable contributions during their tenure.

Hiroo Kaneda is awarded the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus in recognition of his 60 extraordinary years of leadership at Sunstar, as he leaves the Board. His six decades of service and leadership have played a significant role in the development and internationalization of the Sunstar Group and his numerous contributions are acknowledged as he steps down. In addition, Michel Pettigrew has been reappointed as Chairman of the Board.

These changes will strengthen governance and support the adoption of a more global approach, enabling Sunstar’s evolution into a truly global company.