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Gimme Moore: Andrew Moore clocked up 10 years at Suzuki Australia but has now moved to Renault Australia, replacing Justin Hocevar.

FORMER Suzuki Australia director of automobiles, Andrew Moore, who stepped down from the Japanese manufacturer at the end of last week, has resurfaced as the new managing director of Renault Australia.

Mr Moore, who had overseen Suzuki’s automobiles division for the past three years – initially as general manager but becoming a director of the company earlier this year – will now officially start with Renault on October 2, replacing Justin Hocevar who left unexpectedly earlier this month.

At Suzuki, Mr Moore has been replaced by national sales manager Michael Pachota, who starts the role this week.

In announcing the appointment of Mr Moore, Hong Kong-based Renault Asia-Pacific vice-president of marketing and sales, Guillaume Sicard, who had assumed interim responsibility for Renault in Australia, pointed to the incoming MD’s 15 years’ experience in the local automotive industry – the past 10 with Suzuki and the another five in dealer development and sales operations at Honda.

“Securing Andrew to lead our Australian team is not only strategically important, it positions Renault for a strong future,” Mr Sicard said.

“Andrew brings to our Australian operation the right mix of experience, skills and results that we know will help take Renault to its next level of performance in this important market.

“Andrew is a proven business and brand builder and we are very pleased to welcome him to the Renault family.”

Michael Pachota

Mr Pachota joined Suzuki Australia in 2012 as district sales manager (NSW/ACT), but was soon promoted to state sales manager for the same region and was elevated to national sales manager in June 2015.

Suzuki Australia managing director Yoshiyuki Hakamata said the connections Mr Pachota has made with various stakeholders, including dealers, made him an ideal candidate for the position.

“Over the last five years with Suzuki Australia, Michael has built outstanding relationships with our network of dealers, gained a solid understanding of our business, and excelled in every challenge presented to him,” he said.

“It is for these reasons, and many more, that we could think of no other person better suited to this position. We would like to take this opportunity to officially welcome Michael to the role and look forward to witnessing the evolution of Suzuki Australia automobiles with Michael at the helm.”

Mr Pachota thanked Mr Moore for his support and said he was excited about the future prospects of the Japanese brand in Australia.

“I’m honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead such a fantastic team into an exciting new era of growth,” he said. “My passion for the Suzuki brand has driven me to new heights within the organisation and I look forward to tackling this next challenge head-on.

“I would like to thank Andrew Moore for his support over the years; our time working together is one that I truly value, and I wish him all the best with his future endeavours.”

Mr Moore joined Suzuki Australia in 2007 as national marketing manager, rising to general manager of the automobiles division in June 2014 as Tony Devers was reassigned to a newly created role of general manager of corporate strategy.

Mr Hakamata thanked Mr Moore for his contribution to the Japanese car-maker’s Australian arm.

“Andrew has played an important part in the continued success of Suzuki automobiles in Australia since taking over the reins in 2014,” he said. “We acknowledge his efforts and thank him for the unconditional commitment, support and dedication over the years.

“On behalf of everyone at both Suzuki Australia and Suzuki Motor Corporation, I would like to wish Andrew every success in his future challenges and endeavours.”

Mr Hakamata was appointed as Suzuki Australia’s new managing director in June this year, succeeding Masaaki Kato who returned to Suzuki in Japan after five years in the top job Down Under.

Earlier this year, Mr Moore confirmed with GoAuto that Suzuki would expand its 87-strong Australian dealership network by another 10 sites by 2020, while some lower-performing operations would be dropped.

The dealer network expansion was part of the company’s bold plan, under Mr Moore’s watch, to increase its annual sales tally to 30,000 units by 2018.

During his tenure, Suzuki recorded 17,422 sales in 2014, climbing 9.6 per cent in 2015 to 19,086 units, while last year the company managed a 2.1 per cent increase to 19,495 new-vehicle registrations.

Despite the launch of a number of new models in the past 12 months, including the Baleno hatchback, the Ignis crossover, facelifted S-Cross small SUV and the new-generation Swift light hatch, the company’s year-to-date 2017 sales are 0.2 per cent behind the same period in 2016, with 13,135 units shifted.

By Terry Martin and Tim Nicholson

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