Honda appoints Gaku Nakanishi as president and CEO of India operations

Japanese auto major Honda Motor Co today announced appointment of Gaku Nakanishi as the President & CEO of Honda Cars India Ltd.

Nakanishi, who will take over from incumbent Yoichiro Ueno, will assume the role from April 1, consequent to the management changes announced annually by Honda Motor Co., Ltd, the company said in a statement.

Ueno will move to New Business Strategy Division, Business Development Supervisory Unit in Honda Motor Co., Ltd for accelerating formulation of new business strategy and pursuit of open innovation in the area of future mobility, it added.

During his tenure in India, Ueno was instrumental in fortifying the premium brand positioning of Honda and spearheaded introduction of several premium models in India including BR-V, Accord Hybrid, New City and WR-V, the company said.

Besides, he played a key role in laying the foundation for launch of new models, including all-new Amaze, all-new CR-V and the comeback of Civic sedan, it added.

Ueno's stint in India also witnessed rapid market shift from diesel to petrol, demonetization and GST implementation during which he emphasised on achieving operational efficiencies at company and dealership level, the company said.

On the other hand, Nakanishi has been President and CEO of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd. since 2015. He has been associated with Honda Motor Co for almost 30 years having worked in several international markets including North America, Mexico, Japan, Thailand besides overseas division for CIS, Middle East & Africa and Asia and Oceania regions, Honda said.