Seven & i Replaces CEO with Foreign Leader in Historic Move

Seven & i Holdings, the parent of 7-Eleven, announced on Thursday that it will replace its long-time CEO Ryuichi Isaka with lead independent outside director Stephen Dacus. Dacus will take charge from May 27 and has been instrumental in evaluating a $47-billion takeover bid from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard.

The company also plans to list its North American subsidiary, 7-Eleven Inc., in the second half of 2026, with Seven & i holding a majority stake. Additionally, it will sell its superstore business group to investment company Bain Capital for 814.7 billion yen ($5.37 billion) and reduce its stake in banking services arm Seven Bank.

To fund these transactions, Seven & i plans to execute a share buyback of 2 trillion yen ($13.2 billion). The buyback will be completed by the company’s 2030 financial year. Furthermore, the company announced that it will implement a dividend policy, aiming to increase per-share dividend amount over time for cash generated from ordinary business operations.

Shares of Seven & i ended the day up 6.11% following the announcement. Dacus expressed concerns about the US antitrust challenges in the Couche-Tard bid but emphasized the company’s commitment to exploring all value creation opportunities.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/06/seven-i-to-replace-ceo-list-north-american-subsidiary.html