UNIQLO Co., Ltd., a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer and retailer owned by Fast Retailing, has awarded fellowships to Japanese students who have secured admissions in the Harvard Business School (HBS) and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD). The fellowship is granted to students who do not have a corporate sponsorship.
A total of 120 million yen worth fellowships will be granted to six students every year, each from one school for three years. The students will be selected on the basis of their application, a series of interviews and documentation reviews. The chairman, president and CEO of UNIQLO Tadashi Yanai and Professor Hirotaka Takeuchi of HBS will conduct the final interviews for HBS students. Tadashi Yanai and visiting professor at GSD, Toyo Ito, will conduct the interviews for GSD students.
The fellowship program will provide world-class educational opportunities to promising individuals who hail from poor backgrounds, to pursue careers as managers or designers. The fellowship recipients will join the internationally diverse student body of HBS and GSD to study and cultivate their entrepreneurial skills and enhance their global perspective, preparing them for success.
UNIQLO will grant around 20 million yen to each fellowship recipient at HBS. Tadashi Yanai will personally donate around 60 million yen over three years for the fellowship recipients at GSD.
Tadashi Yanai said, “Innovation lies at the intersection of design and business management. I look forward to seeing talented young people from Japan transform their aspirations into reality on the global stage.”
Fast Retailing will offer fellowship recipients enrollment in its internship program while they are studying abroad. Its corporate social responsibility initiatives prioritize the cultivation of young people through fellowships and other programs in Japan and abroad.
UNIQLO Co., Ltd. is a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer and retailer. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fast Retailing. (GK)
