Hisakazu Imaki Appointed
President and CEO of Mazda Motor Corporation
John Parker named executive
vice president of Mazda
Lewis Booth appointed
president and chief operating officer of Ford Europe
Hiroshima, Japan - Mazda
Motor Corporation announced today that Hisakazu Imaki has been named
president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. Imaki
succeeds Lewis Booth, who has been appointed president and chief operating
officer of Ford Europe. John Parker, formerly president of Ford Motor
Company's ASEAN Operations, has been appointed executive vice president of
Mazda. All changes were approved earlier today by the Mazda Board of
Directors.
. Kazuhide Watanabe, chairman
of Mazda, said, "It is an honor to name Hisakazu Imaki president and CEO
of Mazda. For nearly 40 years, Imaki-san has been a central part of Mazda
and a key player in many areas. As president, I'm confident he will carry forward the excellent
progress Mazda has made in the recent years. Today, Mazda is building some
of its best products ever, and Imaki-san's efforts in this success should
not go unnoticed. He embodies the spirit of Mazda."
Imaki, 60, joined the company
in 1965 and has vast experience in the areas of manufacturing, production
engineering and business logistics. He was first named a company general
manager in 1988. In 1990, Imaki was named general manager of the Vehicle
Engineering Department and, three years later, he became a director,
serving as general manager of Production Engineering Division.
Imaki became a
managing director when he was put in charge of Production Engineering,
Manufacturing and Business Logistics in 1997. In March 2002, he was
appointed a Mazda representative director and the company's sole
executive vice president.
Parker, 55, is Mazda's
executive vice president, assistant to president; in charge of Research &
Development, Purchasing, Quality Assurance, Marketing, Sales and IT
Solutions.
Kazuhide Watanabe
Hisakazu Imaki
John Parker
Lewis Booth
He brings to Mazda vast
experience in Ford's International Operations and has served as president
of Ford's ASEAN Operations since January 2002. In this role, Parker was
responsible for all aspects of Ford's operations in Indonesia, Malaysia,
Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. He also served on the Board of
Directors of AutoAlliance
(Thailand) Co., Ltd., Mazda and Ford's joint venture assembly plant in
Thailand.
Prior to being named
president of the ASEAN operations, Parker was president of Ford Lio Ho in
Taiwan for two years. Parker, born in the United Kingdom, joined Ford
South Africa in 1965 and held a number of positions before his initial
assignment in Taiwan in 1979, where he ultimately became director,
Technical Operations. He was then assigned to Ford Australia in 1986 and
advanced to vice president, Product Development. He also served as
president of Ford India from 1994-98.
"The appointment of John
Parker brings Mazda additional global experience, particularly in the
areas of new and emerging markets," added Chairman Watanabe. "As we move
forward with our product-led growth and move to become a stronger player
in emerging markets in Asia, I am sure John's strong ties with the Ford
organization and vast automotive experience will serve Mazda well."
