Japan – Dentsu has named Yuichi Toyoda as its next chief executive officer for APAC, effective 1 January 2026, marking a key leadership move for the network. He will also join the Group Executive Management team.
Toyoda currently serves as global practice president for business transformation at dentsu, BX president at dentsu Japan, and managing executive officer at Dentsu Inc.
With more than 30 years at dentsu, including 15 in globally focused roles, Toyoda has held senior leadership positions across Japan and international markets such as India, Thailand, and China, where he led the turnaround of several business units.
Since 2022, he has overseen Dentsu Inc.’s Global Division and Dentsu Group Inc.’s Solutions Office. Earlier this year, he took charge of dentsu’s global Business Transformation (BX) practice, extending Japan’s BX expertise and practices to international teams and clients.
“We are delighted to appoint Yuichi as CEO, dentsu APAC. His deep knowledge of the region, extensive global experience and leadership in business transformation make him ideally suited to lead this dynamic and highly competitive region,” said Hiroshi Igarashi, president and global CEO at dentsu. “We are grateful to Yoshi for his outstanding leadership over the past 13 months, laying the foundation for a return to growth and strengthening collaboration across the region.”
Meanwhile, speaking about his new role, Toyoda said, “It is with a deep sense of responsibility and pride that I take on this role at such a pivotal time for both our APAC business and the Group.”
“The region is undergoing unprecedented transformation, with disruption reshaping every industry and redefining how our clients compete and grow. Disruption, however, always brings opportunity. We will choose to lead this transformation by building a new, ‘uniquely dentsu’ business model, one that creates value beyond our clients’ expectations, supports their sustainable growth and contributes to the progress of society. Together, we will put dentsu APAC back on a growth path and achieve sustainable, long-term success,” he added.
Toyoda’s appointment follows the completion of Yoshiki Ishihara’s term as interim APAC lead. Ishihara will return to his position as global chief strategy officer at dentsu at the end of the year, focusing on driving growth across international markets and advancing the Group’s Medium-Term Management Plan (MTMP).
During his time as interim APAC lead, Ishihara strengthened collaboration between APAC and Japan, implemented key elements of MTMP, and laid the groundwork for dentsu’s growth in the region.
“It has been a privilege to lead APAC over the past year. Together, we have laid the important groundwork for growth. I am confident Yuichi’s leadership and vision will accelerate APAC’s growth and create greater value for clients and markets,” Ishihara said.
