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Recently we reported that Vauxhall, Peugeot and Volkswagen all took on new workers in their management teams, well now more changes are occurring in other manufacturers' management forces.
Honda appoints first women board member
Hideko Kunii has been named Honda's first foreign female board member in a shake up of the Japanese company's corporate culture. Technology expert Hideko Kunii, 66, will join the carmaker's board while Issao Mizoguchi, a Brazilian of Japanese ancestry who has worked with Honda's South American operations for nearly 30 years has been appointed operating officer. The appointments need shareholder approval at a meeting set for June.
Kunii studied at San Jose University and the University of Texas at Austin, and previously worked for Japanese electronics maker Ricoh. She is in charge of promoting gender equality at the university of Tokyo.
These changes come as Japanese companies have been under fire for promoting only Japanese men. The promotion of women to leadership positions is a pillar of Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe's policies to revive the economy. Toyota, another Japanese carmaker, has one foreigner on it's board, Mark Hogan, an American formerly of General Motors, but has yet to appoint a woman. Nissan, allied with Renault of France, has been the most progressive in promoting diversity but has yet to appoint a woman to its board despite corporate vice-president Asako Hoshino being among its top executives. Nissan has three non-Japanese on its 12-member board, including the chief executive, Carlos Ghosn.
Despite Abe's attempts to persuade firms to promote women to corporate boards, Honda is the first major Japanese company to act. Honda officials stressed Kunii was picked because she was the right person for the job, not because of her gender.
Land Rover appoints new marketing boss
Land Rover has appointed Dominic Chambers as it's new marketing boss, to replace Patrick Jubb who announced he was leaving at the end of January. Jubb left in January after two years in the role, Land Rover commented that he left to pursue other opportunities though it is unknown whether he has another position to go to.
Dominic Chambers will be responsible for the creation and delivery of all communications for the Land Rover master brand, as well as for major project launches, in his new role as global marketing communications director. Before joining Land Rover, he was the interim head of advertising and content at Barclaycard. He has also held marketing roles at Vodafone, LG Electronics and Uniqlo, as well as heading up marketing for Audi in the UK.
Mercedes appoints new chief executive officer
Mercedes-Benz has appointed Gary Savage as chief executive officer (CEO) of the UK outfit's Milton Keynes operation. His new role will see Savage continue as managing director of the cars division. The company's new divisional approach to Mercedes sees the company split into three separate business entities; Cars run by Savage, Vans run by MD Steve Bridge and Trucks run by Michael Kamper.
Mr Savage was appointed managing director of Mercedes-Benz Cars in June 2010. His previous roles include Citroen as MD plus a variety of senior management positions in SEAT and Audi.
Alongside Mr Savae's new job role, former president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz UK, Marcus Breitschwerdt has been appointed head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Europe Region after three years in charge of the UK operation. Breitschwerdt has overseen a 45% increase in car sales since joining the UK in 2011, rising from 75,000 cars annually to more than 108,000 in 2013, breaking the 100,000 barrier for the first time.
We wish all three great success and will keep you updated on any manufacturer management news in the future.