Thomas Charno has been appointed as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Yuasa Battery. Charno succeeds Kazuhi Yoshioka, who has led the sales and marketing organization since October 2021.
This is a press release from Yuasa Battery…
(March 19, 2026) — Yuasa Battery, Inc., a leading American manufacturer of powersports batteries, has announced the appointment of Thomas Charno as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Charno succeeds Kazuhi Yoshioka, who has led the sales and marketing organization since October 2021.
During his tenure, Yoshioka played a key role in building distributor relationships, navigating challenging market conditions, and helping position Yuasa for long-term growth. The company thanks him for his leadership, dedication, and contributions. He will leave the United States to transfer back to GS Yuasa’s headquarters in Japan, where he will continue to support Yuasa Battery, among other GS Yuasa branches, in his new role. “Tom will be able to grow the Yuasa sales team even further. We will bring together the organization’s global strengths to provide exceptional value to customers,” Yoshioka expressed confidently.
“On behalf of the entire Yuasa team, we want to thank Kazuhi for his leadership and the strong foundation he has built over the last four years,” said Ryo Okubo, President and CEO of Yuasa Battery, Inc. “We are excited to build on that momentum as Tom steps into this role.”
Charno brings more than two decades of experience leading sales, marketing, and commercial strategy within highly engineered B2B manufacturing environments. His background combines deep technical expertise with a proven ability to develop customer-focused strategies, strengthen key account relationships, and build high-performing commercial teams. As an industry outsider, he offers a fresh perspective and cross-sector experience that will help drive innovation, growth, and customer value.
“I’m honored to join Yuasa at such an important time for the business,” said Charno. “Kaz and the team have done outstanding work developing partnerships, rebuilding trust, and positioning Yuasa for future growth. I look forward to working closely with our distributors, OEM partners, and internal teams to build on that foundation and continue delivering value to the market.”
In his new role, Charno will oversee sales & marketing strategy, lead growth initiatives, strengthen OEM and distributor relationships, and ensure product development aligns with market needs while leveraging Yuasa’s significant U.S. manufacturing investments.
