Bob Nelson is the executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) with responsibility for overseeing all AHM business operations, including U.S. sales and marketing activities and various support functions for the entire North American region, including Regional Planning, Corporate Affairs, IT Planning & Operations, Finance, Human Resources and Administration.
Nelson began his career at Honda in 1987 as a purchasing staff member in the production procurement group at Honda's Marysville Auto Plant, in Marysville, Ohio, at a time when Honda was rapidly expanding its purchasing of parts and materials from suppliers in North America.
From 1990 to 1996, he worked in various procurement departments including the raw materials group, cost research group and electrical & component procurement group. While on a three-year assignment in Tochigi, Japan, Nelson managed a liaison function supporting Honda manufacturing in North America. Upon his return to the U.S., he worked within several purchasing planning functions.
As a leader in the North American Purchasing Division, Nelson helped develop and implement a number of initiatives to strengthen Honda's supply base. This included developing the sourcing strategy for the launch of the Alabama Auto Plant in 2001.
In April 2011, Nelson became vice president and served as part of the leadership team at Honda's auto plant in Greensburg, Indiana. The following year, in April 2012, he was promoted to senior vice president.
In April 2013, Nelson became president of the Indiana Auto Plant, where he was responsible for the company's operations and leadership of 2,400 associates, during a period of growth when the plant increased its production responsibility from one to three models.
In April 2018, Nelson returned to Ohio in a senior leadership role as general manager of the company's Planning and Strategy Division, which included establishing business strategies for the North American manufacturing and business operations. In addition, he was a leader of Honda's auto manufacturing and engineering functions in North America.
In January 2019, Nelson was named executive vice president in charge of operations for all auto manufacturing plants in Ohio.
In April 2021, with the establishment of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, LLC (HDMA), Nelson's role expanded to lead the new Manufacturing Management Center, with responsibility to improve the manufacturing constitution and production characteristics for all of Honda's U.S. auto manufacturing facilities related to frame, engine and transmission production, along with related engineering and purchasing operations. He also took on responsibility to lead the Planning & Strategy, North American Quality, Accounting and Human Resources business units.
In October 2022, Nelson became executive vice president of Corporate Services of AHM, overseeing support functions for the North American region, including Regional Planning, Corporate Affairs, IT Planning & Operations, Finance, Human Resources and Administration.
In April 2024, Nelson took on additional responsibilities in his position as executive vice president of AHM.
Nelson also serves as co-chair of the Honda Executive Diversity Steering Committee , helping to guide the company toward greater inclusion and diversity across its North American operations.
In addition to his role at AHM, Nelson served as the 2023 board chair of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. Nelson also is on the board of directors of the organization.
Nelson is a graduate of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, majoring in procurement and materials management, and production and operations management.
