Yakult has appointed a new managing director to lead its UK & Ireland business.
Shinji Yamaguchi has been appointed as managing director, replacing Hiroaki Yoshimura.
Yamaguchi brings over three decades of experience at Yakult. He began his career in home deliveries and has since held positions across markets and functions, including in the US, where be contributed to building the Yakult business across sales, logistics and operations.
Most recently, Yamaguchi worked within Yakult’s international business division in Japan, leading marketing development plans as well as contributing to strengthening capability across the business globally.
“Having worked in a number of international markets, I’m excited to now lead the continued growth of Yakult across the UK and Ireland,” said Yamaguchi. “These are mature markets with strong foundations where Yakult has earned a position of trust through its unmatched expertise in the field of probiotics.
“My focus is to build on that by making clear, informed decisions that strengthen trust with consumers, customers and the wider category.”
He added: “It’s particularly encouraging to see the strong awareness of gut health here, not only among consumers but also within the scientific and medical communities who already work closely with our European Research Centre for Microbiology and science team based in the UK.”
Yoshimura is set to become managing director of Yakult Europe, with a move to the European headquarters in the Netherlands.
Yakult said that Yoshimura left a strong legacy in the UK and Ireland “through an expanded product range, pan-European‑ campaigns such as ‘My Yakult’, and increased consumer awareness of gut health”.
“Yamaguchi’s appointment builds on this momentum while bringing a fresh perspective and direction for the UK & Ireland business,” the business added.
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