Studio Ghibli to Appoint Kenichi Yoda as Its New President in June
Intro: Current head Hiroyuki Fukuda will remain as a board director, while NTV Holdings president will stay in his role.
The world‑renowned anime studio Studio Ghibli announced that its president and representative director of the board, Hiroyuki Fukuda, will step down after the shareholders’ meeting on June 22. Ghibli plans to promote current board director Kenichi Yoda (pictured right) to succeed Fukuda as president and representative director.
Fukuda has also served as the representative director, president, and chief operating officer of Nippon Television Holdings since January 2025. NTV is Ghibli’s largest shareholder, making the studio a subsidiary of the network since 2023.
Yoda’s background is in event management for concerts, exhibitions, and stage productions at NTV, and he has acted as NTV’s point person for Ghibli.
Ghibli added that Fukuda will continue as a board director and that no other changes to the hierarchy are planned. After June 22, the board will consist of:
- Co‑founder and producer Toshio Suzuki – Chair
- Kenichi Yoda – President
- Ghibli Park vice‑president Kiyofumi Nakajima – Vice‑president
- Co‑founder and anime director Hayao Miyazaki – Chair emeritus
- Anime director and Ghibli Park director Goro Miyazaki
- NTV Holdings chair Yoshikuni Sugiyama
- Hiroyuki Fukuda – Board director
- Lawyer Takuo Murase
- NTV Holdings associate managing director Yūsuke Yoshie
Kenichi Yoda was born on August 14, 1974. He began his career at the Tokyo headquarters of The Yomiuri Shimbun in April 1999, joined Nippon Television Network Corporation in December 2014, and was appointed to Ghibli’s board in October 2023. In June 2024, NTV made him a general specialist in its content‑strategy division.
Source: Studio Ghibli
