Temporary staffing pioneer Yoshiko Shinohara started Tempstaff from her apartment in 1973 at the age of 38. Having first encountered temporary staffing while working in Australia, Shinohara returned to Japan to launch her company, teaching English in the evenings to pay her rent. The group’s holding company, Temp Holdings, was established in 2008, and has since grown to more than 400 domestic and 43 international offices. Earlier this year, Temp Holdings rebranded as Persol. In 2017, Shinohara was profiled by Forbes as Japan’s first self-made woman billionaire and was listed as a notable new billionaire for 2017. She holds a 25% stake in the company.