Singapore – Twitter has recently announced the promotion of Yu Sasamoto, former country general manager for Japan and South Korea, to now assume as vice president for the unified region of Twitter Japan, South Korea, and Asia Pacific (JAPAC).
Yu’s appointment comes after the elevation of Maya Hari, former vice president and managing director of Twitter APAC, who now takes the helm as vice president of global strategy and operations.
Prior to joining Twitter, Sasamoto has held senior executive roles for various companies, including cable channel MTV Japan, technology company Microsoft Greater Asia Pacific, and restaurant search engine and review site ASKU. In his new role, Sasamoto will be responsible for Twitter’s advertising business across the JAPAC region, including Australia, Greater China, Japan, India, and New Zealand, as well as the whole Southeast Asia, and South Korea.
Sasamoto will move to Twitter’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore for the expanded regional role, and will continue to serve as the general manager of Twitter Japan, as well as the head of Twitter Client Solutions in Japan until the platform finds his successor.
Meanwhile, Hari brings with her over 15 years of experience in the digital media, mobile, and e-commerce industries across the US and APAC. She has previously worked for brands such as Samsung, Google, and Microsoft, as well as Cisco. In her new role, Hari will be responsible for leading a global team focused on customers and revenue product strategy, operations, innovation, and automation to enable commercial and content partnerships efforts around the world.
Hari will continue to be based in Singapore and her global appointment aligns with the company’s overall belief that having more leaders and employees living and working in places that are representative of all perspectives and cultures will help Twitter be a better service and company.
Commenting on his promotion, Sasamoto said that he is thrilled and honored to be tasked with leading the powerhouse that is the new unified JAPAC region for Twitter, and working closely with world-class talents across the region.
“Not only does Asia boast a rich, diverse culture and society, it also breathes innovation and vibrancy – and being at Twitter means we get to be on the pulse of everything that’s happening. I’m looking forward to bringing more people, communities, brands, and partners to Twitter as we build on the incredible business momentum from Maya’s leadership across the region,” said Sasamoto.
Meanwhile, Hari shared that they are delighted that Sasamoto will be stepping into the expanded role, as it is a testament to everything he has achieved at Twitter to date, leading Japan to become among the largest revenue markets globally.
“In my new role, I am excited to work with him and our other international leaders to grow our businesses around the world and find new opportunities for Twitter to serve the global public conversation,” said Hari.
