Denso names new aftermarket lead

Denso Corp. has named Daisuke Yamaoka president of Denso Products and Services Americas, with the appointment effective Jan. 1. He will lead the aftermarket products and services arm of the global mobility supplier, leading more than 550 employees across automotive, commercial and industrial business groups.

In his new role, Yamaoka oversees Aftermarket Parts and Services, PowerEdge, Automatic Data Capture, Connected Services, EdgeCool, MovinCool and Robotics.

“I am honoured to lead Denso Products and Services Americas and build on its strong legacy of delivering excellence to the automotive aftermarket, as well as the robotics, heat management and connected services markets,” said President Yamaoka. “Success is driven by teamwork, and I look forward to collaborating closely with all our teams to reach new milestones and enhance the value we provide to our customers.”

Yamaoka has almost three decades of original equipment and aftermarket sales and service experience within Denso’s global network. After graduating from Keio University in 1998, he joined the aftermarket sales office in Sendai, Japan. In 2002, he moved to the Toyota sales group at Denso Japan, serving there until 2011. He then spent four years with the Toyota sales group at Denso International America in Southfield, Mich.

In 2017, Yamaoka returned to Japan to work in Denso’s aftermarket operations. Two years later, he relocated to the Netherlands to join the company’s aftermarket sales group in Europe. After four years there, he returned to aftermarket operations in Japan before his promotion to lead Denso Products and Services Americas in Long Beach, California.

Yamaoka succeeds Hirokatsu Yamashita, who has returned to Japan to lead Denso’s automotive and life solutions division after nearly seven years as president of Denso Products and Services Americas.