Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has announced the new top management in Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI). Atsushi Ogata will be taking on new responsibility as the President, CEO & Managing Director of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. Ogata is also an Operating Executive at Honda Motor Co., Japan.  

He succeeds Minoru Kato, who after spearheading Honda’s Indian two-wheeler operations for 3 years, returns to Japan with effect from 1st May 2020. Kato has been elevated as the Operating Executive & Chief Officer Life creation operation, Honda Motor Co., Japan.

Meanwhile, as part of this move, V Sridhar (earlier GVP & Director – Manufacturing, HMSI) is now further elevated as the Senior Director – Purchase, HMSI. Additionally, Yadvinder Singh Guleria and Vinay Dhingra are now elevated to the Board of Directors of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. 

While Guleria as the new Director, HMSI now has greater responsibilities with an additional charge of Customer Service, Logistics Planning & Control, Premium Motorcycle Business, Brand & Communication along with Sales & Marketing, Vinay Dhingra will shoulder the added responsibility of Strategic Information System (SIS) along with General & Corporate Affairs. 

President Ogata started his career in Honda Japan from 1985. In the year 2000, he moved to Europe as the General Manager of the Motorcycle Sales Division in Honda Motor Europe Ltd. (HME) gaining experience in both HME’s northern and southern operation headquarters at Germany and France respectively over the next 6 years. He has held leadership positions in China, Japan, Thailand, Europe, Asia & Oceania and has over 35 years of rich experience at Honda.

It is this experience that Honda 2Wheelers India aims to leverage as it enters its 20th year of Indian operations and aims to strategically steward the brand towards market leadership in the disruptive future. The appointment also comes at a time when the automobile market in India is going through a tough phase on account of the COVID-19 lockdowns.