Infor appoints Yuka Kanemitsu to lead Japan

Infor has appointed Yuka Kanemitsu as President and Representative Director of Infor Japan. The last public announcement saw Mitsukuni Iio installed in the role in 2018. Kanemitsu joined from Cohesity in July 2026 and has held country leadership positions and sales leadership positions for around 25 years.

Kanemitsu has been brought on board to lead the next phase of growth for Infor in Japan. Infor offers industry-specific cloud ERP solutions powered by AI and deep industry expertise. It differentiates based on several ERP applications that are built for specific industries rather than a more generic platform such as SAP, Oracle and Workday.

In the role, Kanemitsu will lead the company’s business strategy and operations across Japan. She will be responsible for accelerating customer success, expanding strategic partnerships, and driving growth in one of the key markets for Infor.

Kanemitsu will aim to grow Infor’s presence in automotive, industrial manufacturing, food and beverage, distribution and other asset-intensive sectors. Thus, helping customers modernise operations with Industry Cloud, AI and intelligent automation.

Why now?

The appointment comes at a time when the Japanese market for ERP is growing. According to Grand View Horizon, the ERP software market in Japan is expected to reach a projected revenue of US$ 11,271.9 million by 2033 at a compound annual growth rate of 13.2%.

Japanese companies are increasingly investing in digital transformation, AI and cloud technologies. They do so to meet the ever-changing demands of global supply chains, a modern workforce and to improve operational resilience.

Infor continues to invest in its solution, enhancing its platform with new AI capabilities that bring industry-specific solutions to the market.

Geoff Thomas, SVP Asia Pacific and Japan, said, “Japan is one of Infor’s most strategic markets worldwide and plays an important role in our long-term growth strategy across Asia Pacific.

“Organizations today are looking beyond general-purpose AI. They want technology that understands the unique requirements of their industries, improves business processes, and helps people make better decisions.

“Infor is uniquely positioned to meet these needs through our Industry Cloud platform, which combines deep industry functionality with AI, automation, and advanced analytics.

Yuka has an exceptional track record of building high-performing organizations, strengthening customer relationships, and leading business transformation. Her leadership will be instrumental as we continue helping customers across Japan achieve measurable business outcomes.”

Who is Kanemitsu

Kanemitsu has held three previous Country Manager positions, at Coheisty, Veritsa Technologies LLC and CloudBlue. All technology companies that work in a similar space to that in which Infor operates.

Prior to that, she held sales leadership positions at Landis and Gyr, Nokia and Alcatel Lucent. She has worked within many US-headquartered firms so understands the difference in culture well.

Kanemitsu started her career at Nippon Ericsson KK, rising rapidly to Sales Director over an eleven-year tenure. She also held senior sales positions at Comverse Japan Ltd and NICE Systems.

Kanemitsu commented, “AI is transforming how businesses operate, but technology alone does not create value. Sustainable business transformation happens when organizations combine industry expertise, modern cloud technology, trusted data, and AI to improve how work gets done. Together with our customers and partners, we will help organizations modernize with confidence and create measurable business value.”

Enterprise Times: What does this mean

Infor has found an experienced country head to lead them in Japan. With the investments that Infor is making in its Industry Cloud Platform, Kanemitsu has the opportunity to build a sales motion that will build revenue streams for the industry-specific ERP vendor.

Kanemitsu’s challenge will be to translate Infor’s global strategy into local execution. Japan’s ERP market is expanding as manufacturers, distributors and asset-intensive organisations look to modernise ageing systems and embed AI into core processes.

Infor has a differentiated message with its industry-specific cloud applications, but it must prove measurable value against larger competitors with deeper footprints.

If Kanemitsu can strengthen partner relationships, sharpen vertical go-to-market activity and demonstrate successful customer outcomes, Japan could become a more significant growth engine for Infor across Asia Pacific. Her appointment signals intent; delivery will determine its impact.

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