NTT DATA promotes Kazuhiko Nakayama to president and CEO

Former leader Yutaka Sasaki will transition to senior executive VP of NTT

NTT DATA has named Kazuhiko Nakayama as its new president and CEO, effective today.

Yutaka Sasaki, former president and CEO of the organisation, will assume the role of senior executive VP of NTT on 18 June.

An NTT vet, Nakayama joined the company in 1989 and has spent the past 37 years in various leadership positions across the group, including roles at NTT DOCOMO, NTT EAST and NTT Communications.

Most recently, he served as CFO of NTT DATA Group, a position he had held since 2023.

Prior to that, he was SVP and head of finance and accounting at NTT.

Minoru Umehara will succeed Nakayama as CFO while also taking on the role of chief security officer.

The appointment comes as NTT DATA as the company has identified AI-enabled productivity and next-gen infrastructure as two of its main strategic priorities across its operations in over 70 countries and regions, with a focus on areas including operational AI and physical AI.

“Over the past three years I have had the honour of working closely with Mr Sasaki and the leadership team on a strategic course that has established NTT DATA among the top five IT services businesses globally,” said Nakayama.

“As I take on the responsibilities of CEO and lead the growth of the NTT DATA Group going forward, I feel a deep sense of dedication, possibility and excitement.”

Sasaki added: “Under the leadership of Mr Nakayama, NTT DATA Group will embark on a new management structure.

“Under Mr Nakayama’s renewed growth strategy, I look forward to seeing continued strength in performance and a commitment to achieving quality growth together as one NTT DATA.”

The move comes alongside a wider rejig of NTT DATA’s exec team.

Hiroshi Tomiyasu has been appointed chief information officer, chief information security officer and chief AI officer.

Meanwhile, Asako Toyoda will become CRO while Chie Aoki will assume the role of chief human resources officer.

The leadership changes also follow a period of momentum for NTT DATA.

For the year ended 31 March 2026, revenue increased 6.2 per cent to ¥4.6tn (£21.6bn), driven by demand for digital transformation, cloud and AI-related services.

NTT DATA’s UK branch ranks number 33 on CRN’s Top VARs 2025 list.