American Honda Announces Transition of Top Executive Leadership

• Shinji Aoyama to assume dedicated position leading global electrification business
• Noriya Kaihara to be president & CEO of American Honda and chief officer of North America

Honda today announced that a change will occur to its top executive leadership in North America, effective October 1, 2021. In order to accelerate the corporate transformation required to pursue electrification, Shinji Aoyama, president & CEO of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., and chief officer of Regional Operations (North America) will be dedicated to his new role as the global Officer in Charge of Electrification for Honda Motor Co., Ltd. He also will become a Managing Executive Officer.  Succeeding Aoyama as president & CEO of American Honda and chief officer of Regional Operations will be Noriya Kaihara, a Managing Executive Officer of Honda Motor, who currently serves as the Chief Officer of Customer First Operations and global Risk Management Officer. 

Honda Motor also announced the establishment of an Electrification Business office under Aoyama's leadership. Honda announced the establishment of the new role of Officer in Charge of Electrification on May 21, and Aoyama began this new role on July 1, while based in North America.  In his new dedicated role, Aoyama will lead the establishment and implementation of electrification strategies which leverage the unique strength of Honda as a company including motorcycle, automobile, power equipment and other businesses.  At the same time, Honda will continue to pursue electrification strategies on a regional basis while coordinating with the Global Operation.

Aoyama joined American Honda in April 2018, as the senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of American Honda and Honda North America, Inc. (HNA), as well as the vice chief officer, Regional Operations for North America.  In November 2018, he became the president and chief operating officer of AHM and HNA, and continued as the vice chief officer, Regional Operations for North America. He became president & CEO of AHM and chief officer for North America in April 2019.  Aoyama concurrently has served as a managing officer of Honda Motor.

Kaihara has spent much of his career in after-sales service in Japan and North America. He spent two years at Honda Canada, from April 2002 to April 2004, then joined American Honda in the Service area from 2004 until April 2008.  Since returning to Honda Motor, he has held a variety of positions in motorcycle and automobile business, including in the areas of parts and service, quality assurance, purchasing, customer service and the company's Customer First operations.  Kaihara became an operating officer of Honda Motor in 2013, and a managing officer in 2018.  He also has played a key role in Honda's collaboration with GM, which positions him to help lead Honda's pursuit of electrification in North America. 

Honda in North America

Honda established operations in North America in 1959. Today, the company employs more than 40,000 associates in the region, engaged in the development, manufacturing, sales and service support of Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda power equipment, Honda powersports products and the HondaJet advanced lightjet.

Based on its longstanding commitment to build products close to the customer, Honda operates 18 major manufacturing plants in North America, working with nearly 800 suppliers in the region to produce the diverse range of Honda products. In 2020, more than 95 percent of the Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the U.S. were produced in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

Honda also operates 21 research and development facilities in North America that fully design, develop and engineer many of the products the company makes in North America.

More information about Honda is available in the Digital Fact Book.

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