Mr. Hiro Kuramoto has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA).

Announcing the appointment, outgoing IUA Managing Director & CEO, Mr. Yasu Takeuchi said, “Hiro brings vast experience from leadership roles in one of the world’s most competitive automotive markets and I am delighted that I am handing the reins to someone with that capability and perspective to lead IUA’s future success.”

Vacating the company’s top position he has held since 2011, Mr. Takeuchi will return to Tokyo to take up a new position within the Mitsubishi Corporation, the parent company of IUA.

“During my six years at IUA, the company has experienced phenomenal growth of which I am extremely proud,” Mr. Takeuchi said.

“Our recent milestone of 100,000 accumulated sales is a testament to the great people behind our brand both here at IUA and in our dealerships, and the unwavering trust our customers have in our products – and with our new D-MAX and MU-X tracking well – I expect our double-digit growth to continue,” he added.

Formerly based in Thailand, Mr. Kuramoto’s previous experience includes his most recent posting as President of both Auto Technic (Thailand) Co., Ltd, and the Tri Petch Isuzu Service Co., Ltd, the aftersales arm of the world’s largest Isuzu distributor in Thailand. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Kuramoto spent 22 years in various senior positions within Isuzu businesses in both Thailand and China.

“Yasu and the team at IUA have put me in the privileged position to be joining a company with a great history of achievement and I look forward to the exciting challenge of leading IUA to the next level of its prosperity – focusing not only on sustainable sales growth but also increasing our customer satisfaction and retention,” Mr. Kuramoto said.

Mr. Kuramoto will officially take up his new appointment in Brisbane in July 2017.