Honda Motor Co has appointed Gaku Nakanishi as the new president and CEO of Honda Cars India. He will take charge from April 1, 2018, consequent to the management changes announced annually by Honda Motor Co.  

Nakanishi will take over from Yoichiro Ueno, who moves to New Business Strategy Division, Business Development Supervisory Unit in Honda Motor Co for accelerating formulation of new business strategy and pursuit of open innovation in the area of future mobility.

During his tenure in India, Yoichiro Ueno (pictured below) was instrumental in fortifying Honda’s brand positioning. He spearheaded the introduction of several premium models in India including the BR-V, Accord Hybrid, New City and WR-V and laid the foundation for the launch of new models including the new Amaze, new CR-V and the Civic.

Ueno’s strong focus on new age communication led to many integrated marketing campaigns targeting consumers across age profiles. In his role, he emphasised achieving operational efficiencies at company and dealership level during rapid market shift from diesel to petrol, demonetization and GST implementation. He also led several initiatives in the field of sales and service to enhance customer experience and dealer profitability.

Gaku Nakanishi has been president and CEO of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co since 2015. He has been associated with Honda Motor Co for almost 30 years and has vast experience in the automobile industry, having worked in several international markets including North America, Mexico, Japan, Thailand and has worked with overseas division for CIS, Middle East & Africa and Asia & Oceania regions.