Yamaha Motor CEO begins sweeping structural reforms

The Story in Brief

Yamaha Motor President and CEO Motofumi Shitara has initiated a major organisational and cultural overhaul at the company's headquarters, aiming to break down silos and improve coordination between marketing, manufacturing and technology. The reforms include restructuring the board, creating new management committees, and launching a corporate culture project with 24 participants from junior to middle management.

Shitara, who previously led Yamaha's India operations, acknowledges stiff headwinds from the West Asia war and US tariff uncertainty. He warns that simply building on existing methods will not suffice. Marketing reforms are the top priority, requiring a shift from product-oriented thinking to linking sales strategies with market needs. He also stresses the need to develop management talent capable of solving problems across organisational boundaries.