Personnel Articles ,

ISUZU Ute Australia (IUA) has appointed its first female director, with Reiko Sato becoming deputy managing director.

Ms Sato replaces Takuji Ozawa, who has returned to Japan to take up a new role within IUA parent company Mitsubishi Corporation.

A chartered certified practicing accountant with an extensive accounting and administration background, Ms Sato will take direct responsibility for finance and accounting, information technology, administration and HR.

Under Mr Ozawa’s two-and-a-half-year leadership, IUA has expanded and improved its internal operations that included commissioning a heavily-renovated head office in Brisbane, as well as introducing new systems and procedures to improve internal processes and contribute to the company’s wider success.

IUA has also appointed Kenichi (Ken) Kudo as product planning executive to replace deputy general manager of product planning Takeshi (Ima) Imanari, who has returned to Japan after almost seven years at IUA.

The company said Mr Imanari contributed significantly to the constant model improvements that drove IUA’s growth over the years.

Mr Kudo comes to IUA from an extensive background in automotive, including the past five years at Isuzu Motors International Thailand (IMIT) where he was responsible for sales and marketing planning.

Mr Kudo will assume the task of continuing to develop the D-Max and MU-X to meet the needs of the ever-evolving Australian automotive market.

IUA managing director Hiroyasu Sato said: “This announcement will see two fundamental decision makers responsible for much of the IUA’s growth over the past few years return home, to Japan, with their replacements set to bring in a fresh perspective, along with years of experience from overseas markets to help develop our operations here in Australia.”

“We are indebted to Mr Ozawa and Mr Imanari for their service and commitment to the brand over the years and we are excited to welcome Mr Kudo and our first female director, Ms Sato to the IUA family.”

By Neil Dowling

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