Biotechnology company Rakuten Aspyrian revealed on Wednesday the election of Mickey Mikitani as its chief executive officer.

Takashi Toraishi, Ph.D. has been named as the new chief operating officer for the company's clinical trials and commercialisation of its products as well as growth.

The company's former CEO Miguel Garcia-Guzman, Ph.D. will now transition to vice chairman and chief scientific officer.

Prior to the promotion, Mikitani has served as the company's chairman since 2016, overseeing strategic direction, investment, corporate as well as clinical development.

Currently, Mikitani is the chairman and CEO of Rakuten Inc [RKUNF], a Japanese global innovation company, as well as a member of the boards of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Lyft Inc.

More recently, Dr Toraishi was employed as president of Rakuten Aspyrian Japan. Previously, he was president of new service development company at Rakuten Inc, worked with McKinsey & Company, Tokyo, a partner and consultant to global medical device and equipment companies, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Tokyo as well as led the nuclear chemistry division of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency.