Japanese probiotic drinks manufacturer Yakult has appointed Hiroaki Yoshimura as the new director of the company’s European operations. He takes over from Hiroyasu Matsubara, who will continue in a role as senior advisor to ensure a smooth handover and continuity.
Hiroaki Yoshimura began his career at Yakult Honsha, the company’s headquarters in Japan, before spending 11 years as a sales consultant at Yakult Australia and subsequently serving as director for the United Kingdom and Ireland within Yakult.
Yakult has been active on the European market since 1993 and has been manufacturing at its Almere, the Netherlands, plant since 1994. From here, the products are now distributed to 13 European countries.
Worldwide, Yakult products are consumed daily by more than 38m people. In 2025, Yakult Honsha strengthened its focus on innovation in Europe with the opening of a new research centre on the Wageningen Campus investing €3.7m.