Asia-Pacific Power List 2023: Naho Kono, Rakuten

Naho Kono

Group EVP & CMO
Rakuten
Japan
Member since 2020

Naho Kono, CMO of Rakuten, has consistently been on the Campaign Asia-Pacific’s Power List since 2020, and for a good reason. Under her leadership, the Rakuten Ecosystem has continued to grow and expand, with over 39 million monthly active users in Japan alone and 75.6% of users tapping into two or more services over the past year.

That success is partly due to the company's flagship loyalty program, Rakuten Points, which has consistently been named Japan's top loyalty points program. In 2021, the company reached a new milestone, issuing over 530 billion points worth roughly 4.6 billion US dollars. In 2022, that increased by 23% year-on-year, surpassing three trillion cumulative points. 

Kono has also led the company's efforts to expand cross-use within the ecosystem, promoting initiatives such as Rakuten Mobile and Rakuten Link, as well as the Super Point Up Program, which awards customers for using multiple Rakuten services with double, triple, or even 15 times the usual amount of points earned. In addition, the company has launched the Internal Marketing Community to exchange knowledge and enhance marketing efficiency.

Furthermore, Kono has spearheaded various projects to utilise better first-party data for branding and marketing purposes, including a 620 billion yen point reward program to encourage user engagement and ecosystem growth. She has also improved Rakuten products' UI/UX and quality through continuous efforts to enhance the System Usability Scale (SUS) score.

Beyond her work at Rakuten, Kono keeps an active profile in industry events; an active member of the marketing community, she was the keynote speaker at the 2022 World Retail Congress in Rome and also served on the judging panel for the 2022 WARC Awards for Asian Strategy. 

In addition, Kono has taken steps to encourage sustainable living and promote inclusivity, such as the "Go Green Together" project, which introduces services that offer sustainable options, and the "Walk Together with Pride" initiative.

Kono's contributions to Rakuten and the wider marketing community have been significant. She continues to lead the charge in creating an inclusive brand culture that fosters diversity and demands equality. As a senior leader in the company, Kono sets a strong example for other CMOs in the Asia-Pacific region.