Probiotic yogurt brand Yakult has appointed Shinji Yamaguchi as managing director of its UK & Ireland division.

Yamaguchi will replace Hiroaki Yoshimura, who will move to the company’s European headquarters in the Netherlands as managing director of Yakult Europe.

Yoshimura has worked in the UK for 11 years, with eight of those as managing director. Yakult stated that he would leave a “strong legacy” in the UK and Ireland through an expanded product range, pan-European campaigns, and increased consumer awareness of gut health.

Shinji Yamaguchi brings more than three decades of experience within Yakult to his new role. Having begun his career in home deliveries, 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.

Consumers seek gut health products

Yamaguchi’s appointment comes at a “pivotal time” for the fast-expanding gut health category, said Yakult, as retailers in the UK and Ireland look to trusted, established brands to deliver long-term value to an increasingly gut-aware consumer base.

On his appointment, Yamaguchi stated: “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.”