Notice Regarding the Appointment of an Outside Director
SmartNews, Inc. has announced the appointment of Shinsuke Usami as an Outside Director, effective March 31, 2026. This appointment is part of the company's ongoing efforts to strengthen corporate governance and enhance the supervisory and advisory functions of its Board of Directors.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 2, 2026 at 18:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 2, 2026 at 09:03
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 17, 2026 at 10:20 (361h 17m after Collected)
SmartNews, Inc. (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Kaisei Hamamoto), whose mission is to deliver quality information from around the world to the people who need it, announces that Shinsuke Usami has been newly appointed as an Outside Director at the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held on March 31, 2026.
Since the change in management structure in November 2023, the company has been continuously working to strengthen its supervisory functions, including increasing the ratio of independent outside directors on the Board of Directors, with the aim of enhancing corporate governance. By welcoming Mr. Shinsuke Usami, we intend to further enhance the Board of Directors' supervisory functions and its advisory role regarding management.
Reasons for the Appointment of the Outside Director
Mr. Shinsuke Usami is an entrepreneur and business executive with over 20 years of management experience in the internet and digital marketing sectors. He founded VOYAGE GROUP in 1999 and led the company through an MBO, its listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market in 2014, and its market transition to the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2015. In 2019, he established CARTA HOLDINGS through a business integration with CCI, serving as Representative Director and Chairman (and later as Representative Director, President, Executive Officer, and CEO). We expect Mr. Usami to contribute to our company by leveraging his expertise in business opportunity creation and growth support, capital market strategy, and the establishment of governance structures following an IPO.
The company will continue to strive for the enhancement of corporate governance by strengthening the supervisory and advisory functions of the Board of Directors.
SmartNews, Inc. Board of Directors Structure
Ken Suzuki, Chairman of the Board
Kaisei Hamamoto, Representative Director and CEO
Jyo Konno, Outside Director
Dan Springer, Outside Director
Etsuko Okajima, Outside Director
Katsuya Uenoyama, Outside Director
Shinsuke Usami, Outside Director (Appointed March 2026)
Biography of Mr. Shinsuke Usami
Graduated from the School of Commerce, Waseda University. After joining Tohmatsu Consulting (now Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting) and working at a software venture company, he founded Axiv.com (later VOYAGE GROUP) in October 1999. In 2001, he entered into a capital and business alliance with CyberAgent and was appointed as a Director of the company in 2005. He led the MBO of VOYAGE GROUP in 2012, its listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market in 2014, and its market transition to the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (now Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime) in 2015. In 2019, he established CARTA HOLDINGS through the business integration of VOYAGE GROUP and Cyber Communications, and was appointed as Representative Director and Chairman. He later served as Representative Director, President, Executive Officer, and CEO.
About SmartNews, Inc.
Since its establishment on June 15, 2012, SmartNews, Inc. has operated under the mission of "delivering quality information from around the world to the people who need it." The company develops the news app "SmartNews" in Japan and the United States, boasting one of the largest user bases for a news app in Japan. Starting at the end of 2023, the company launched its first subscription service, "SmartNews+," and, together with its subsidiary SlowNews, provides high-quality reporting and diverse content produced through excellent journalism. By utilizing algorithms that analyze vast amounts of information from around the world day and night, and through strong partnerships with over 3,000 media outlets both domestically and internationally, the company aims to continue contributing to society by effectively delivering quality information to as many users as possible through a comfortable interface optimized for smart devices. https://about.smartnews.com/ja/