Isuzu Motors appoints Naohiro Yamaguchi as President and CEO from April 2026 as part of a broad leadership and organisational restructuring.
Isuzu Overhauls C-Suite and Internal Structure with New CEO and Three New Divisions
Isuzu Motors (Isuzu) has announced a leadership and organisational overhaul effective April 1, 2026, with Naohiro Yamaguchi set to become President, Representative Director, and Chief Executive Officer, as the company transitions to a new management structure.
Yamaguchi, 63, has been serving as Director of the Board and Managing Executive Officer, holding the roles of Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of the Corporate Strategy, Corporate Planning and Finance, and System Divisions, since April 2025. He joined Isuzu in April 1986 and has held various roles across sales, engineering, and corporate strategy over four decades with the company. He also spent time at Isuzu India.
Current President and COO Shinsuke Minami will move to Vice Chairman and Director of the Board, while current Chairman and CEO Masanori Katayama will transition to Chairman and Director of the Board, relinquishing his representative director and CEO responsibilities. Subject to shareholder approval at the annual general meeting in June, Minami is expected to subsequently retire from the board.
Alongside the leadership changes, Isuzu will also appoint new C-suite roles, including a Chief Technology Officer, a Chief Logistics Officer, and a Chief Digital Transformation Officer, as part of efforts to strengthen its executive team under the company’s mid-term business plan.
Broader Restructuring
The company is also restructuring its internal organisation, reducing its current 15 divisions to 11. Six divisions—the Administration, Corporate Strategy, Corporate Planning and Finance, Systems, Business Practice Development, and Carbon Neutral Strategy Divisions—will be dissolved, with their functions redistributed or consolidated into new or existing units.
Three new divisions will be created as part of the restructuring: an Enterprise Risk Management Division to centralise risk oversight and a Corporate Division that merges several strategy, finance, and systems functions. The total number of departments will increase from 120 to 122.
Among other notable executive changes, Noburo Murakami, currently Chairman and CEO of Isuzu North America Corporation, will be elevated to Senior Executive Officer and take on the roles of Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Digital Transformation Officer within the new Corporate Division. Fumiya Yamakita, currently Chief Financial Officer, will be promoted to Senior Executive Officer while retaining the CFO role. Both Murakami and Yamakita are also put forward as candidates for the Board of Directors at the June shareholders’ meeting.
Isuzu said the changes are aimed at accelerating decision-making, strengthening governance, and positioning the group to better respond to shifts in the commercial vehicle industry.
“Aiming to become a leader in the global commercial vehicle industry, Isuzu has been strengthening its management structure and governance framework to create further growth opportunities and ensure stable business operations through unified Group-wide efforts. By further strengthening the executive leadership team, Isuzu will enhance its ability to respond swiftly to changes in the business environment and better execute key management initiatives,” the company noted.
