April, 2026 – Yakult UK & Ireland [1] has appointed Shinji
Yamaguchi as Managing Director (MD), replacing Hiroaki Yoshimura, who
moves to the company’s European headquarters, in the Netherlands, as
Managing Director of Yakult Europe.
Having worked in the UK for eleven years with eight of those as MD, Mr
Yoshimura leaves 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. Mr
Yamaguchi’s appointment builds on this momentum while bringing a fresh
perspective and direction for the UK & Ireland business.
Shinji Yamaguchi brings over three decades of experience within Yakult
to his new role. Having begun his career in home deliveries, the bedrock
of Yakult’s direct-to-consumer model, he has since held positions across
markets and functions. This includes the United States, where he
contributed to building the initial Yakult business across sales,
logistics and operations. Most recently, he worked within Yakult’s
International Business Division in Japan, leading market development
plans as well as contributing to strengthening capabilities across the
business globally.
This breadth of experience across start-up environments,
cross-functional teams, and international markets gives Mr. Yamaguchi
the rare combination of frontline understanding and strategic
perspective required to help maintain a leading edge to this highly
competitive market.
On his appointment, Mr. Yamaguchi says: “Having worked in a number of
international markets, I’m excited to now lead the continued growth of
Yakult across the UK and Ireland. 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.
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.”
Mr Yamaguchi’s global experience brings the vital skill of linking
corporate objectives with local priorities. His appointment comes at a
pivotal time for the fast-expanding gut health category, as retailers in
the UK and Ireland look to trusted, established brands to deliver
long-term value to an increasingly gut-aware consumer base.
