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A Billionaire Engineering Workshops to Save 7-Eleven

Tokyo, California, Claremont, Japan, USAWednesday, December 18, 2024

Imagine flying to California to change a company's future. That's what billionaire Junro Ito did. He's a big shot at Seven & i Holdings, the Japanese company behind 7-Eleven. He felt the company was losing its identity, so he headed to Claremont Graduate University in California. Why? To breathe new life into the company using the wisdom of Peter Drucker, a business guru who inspired his father, the company's founder.

Drucker's philosophy? Serve customers, not just shareholders. Ito wanted to teach this to Seven & i's employees. So, he started monthly workshops back in Tokyo. That wasn't all. Ito, who's a vice president at Seven & i, had another plan. He wanted to stop foreign companies from taking over Seven & i where his family has a minority stake. This isn't just about business. Ito wants to keep his father's legacy alive.

seven i claremont graduate university japanese company tokyo california peter drucker junro ito

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