Langenhagen, Germany, 1 April 2025
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH announces two key leadership appointments, reinforcing its commitment to customer-centricity and business expansion in the European market.
Kentaro Itamoto Appointed as President of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe
Effective April 1st, 2025, Kentaro Itamoto will assume the role of President of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH, succeeding Kiyotaka Suhara. Since joining Konica Minolta Inc. in 2002, Kentaro Itamoto has played a key role in shaping strategy and operations across sales and business planning in various leadership positions.
He has held management positions in various regions, including the Middle East, North America and Japan. In the Middle East, he was responsible for establishing the regional office, achieving a doubling of the business within three years. During his tenure in North America, Kentaro Itamato played a pivotal role in five successful mergers and acquisitions, successfully strengthening the company’s direct sales operations. Upon his return to Japan in 2019, he led various global projects, including global talent development and the enhancement of productivity in corporate functions.
Currently, as General Manager of the Corporate Planning Division at Konica Minolta, Inc., he is spearheading strategic initiatives in the mid-term business plan and leading global structural reforms, with a focus on optimizing human capital.
As the new President of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, Kentaro Itamoto will drive the company’s commitment to customer-centricity and sustainable business growth.
Toshitaka Uemura to Lead European Industrial Printing Business
Additionally, Konica Minolta is pleased to announce that, effective April 1st, 2025, Toshitaka Uemura will take on the role of European Head of Industrial Printing (IP) Business. Reporting directly to Kentaro Itamoto, he will be working closely with Rob Ferris, CEO of Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd., to strengthen the European IP business strategy.
This appointment comes at a crucial time as Konica Minolta continues to expand its Industrial Printing business, which represents a significant growth opportunity for the company. With the launch first showcase of the AccurioJet 60000 at drupa 2024, a high-end model following the quality and technology of the AccurioJet KM-1/KM-1e series, combining impressive speeds (6,000 sph) and excellent image quality, the company is advancing further in the highspeed digital production market. Also in the label printing segment, Konica Minolta is one of the two leading brands in digital label printing. With their strategic partner MGI Digital Technology, Konica Minolta represents pioneering digital transformation capabilities for their customers, from providing new sources of value through print embellishment such as foiling and varnishing up to a complete single-pass factory MGI AlphaJet. The change in leadership will enable Konica Minolta to strengthen its competitive position, drive innovation and develop new revenue streams in the coming years. Toshitaka Uemura’s extensive industry expertise and strong network within the Industrial Printing business will be instrumental in driving faster market penetration, strategic partnerships, and new business opportunities in industrial printing.
Konica Minolta extends a warm welcome to both Kentaro Itamoto and Toshitaka Uemura in their new roles and looks forward to their leadership in driving the company’s continued growth and transformation in Europe.
About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH, based in Langenhagen, Germany, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Inc., Tokyo, Japan. With its unique expertise in imaging, data processing and data-based decision making, Konica Minolta creates relevant solutions for its customers – small and medium-sized businesses, large enterprises and public sector – and solves issues faced by society.
As a digital workplace solution provider, Konica Minolta helps its clients to identify and unlock the potential digitalisation holds and reach the next level in the digital maturity of their organisation by rethinking the workplace. In support of an ‘Intelligent connected workplace’, Konica Minolta offers cloud, IT, managed print and video solution services for remote working, collaboration, workflow management and automation and security. The company’s success in driving transformation is also confirmed by IDC, since the ‘IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Print Transformation 2023 Vendor Assessment’ has named Konica Minolta a “Leader” in print transformation. Konica Minolta has been a Microsoft Global Managed Partner since 2021.
Konica Minolta’s Igniting Print Possibilities offering helps printers, converters and brand owners maximise workflow automation to increase efficiency. The company delivers consultancy in all communication matters as well as top-of-the-line production, packaging as well as label printers. Its finishing devices create print products that stand out and create added value. Konica Minolta has established itself as the production printing market leader for more than a decade in Europe (InfoSource).
For an increasing number of organisations, success today is more than the narrow definition of financial prosperity – it also includes protecting the environment and having a positive impact on their workforce as well as the societies they are embedded in. With its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Konica Minolta has pledged to consistently pursue its sustainability and social responsibility goals. The company has been repeatedly recognised for its rich history of social contribution as well as for working towards achieving the SDGs throughout its business and supply chain. Konica Minolta received a GOLD Level Recognition Medal in the EcoVadis sustainability ratings for 2023.
For its remote services, Konica Minolta was awarded the prestigious Buyers Lab (BLI) 2023-2024 Pacesetter Award in Remote Service for the Western European market from Keypoint Intelligence.
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is represented by subsidiaries and distributors in more than 80 countries in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. With more than 8,800 employees (as of April 2024), Konica Minolta Europe earned net sales of over EUR 2.13 billion in financial year 2023/2024.
Worldwide, the company has over 40,000 employees and is operating in over 150 countries.
For more information, please visit https://www.konicaminolta.eu/eu-en/news and follow Konica Minolta on Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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Contact
Silke Ehmann-Cotichini
Konica Minolta
Business Solutions Europe GmbH
Phone: +49 (0)511 7404-5604
silke.ehmann-cotichini@konicaminolta.eu
