India Yamaha Motor names Masaki Asano as deputy MD

India Yamaha Motor (IYM) has named Masaki Asano as deputy managing director. As part of his new mandate, Asano will strengthen the sales and marketing group at IYM and will report to Hiroyuki Suzuki, CEO and managing director, India Yamaha Motor.

Commenting on the appointment, Suzuki says, "Masaki's experience of over three decades in different markets globally will certainly help put together some great ideas that will work wonders for the company not just today, but even in the years to come."

Asano says, "India is the most exciting and the fastest growing market in the world and hence, a key market for Yamaha Motor." He says he finds the challenge exciting.

Asano joined Yamaha Motor (YMC), the Japanese motorized vehicle manufacturer, in 1981 and looked after the domestic market before joining Yamaha Motor Indonesia as GM, marketing in 1989. Then, in 1997, he joined Yamaha Motor, Portugal as president. From 2001 to 2003, he looked after Yamaha Motor Italy in the same capacity.

In 2003, he took charge of the Central and South American motorcycle market and was based in the YMC head office in Japan, before he joined the company's Vietnam office in 2007.

For the record, Yamaha made its initial foray into India in 1985. Subsequently, it entered a 50:50 joint venture with the Escorts Group in 1996. However, in August 2001, Yamaha acquired its remaining stake and Yamaha India became a 100 per cent subsidiary of Yamaha Motor, Japan.

In 2008, Mitsui & Co entered into an agreement with YMC to become a joint investor in the motorcycle manufacturing company, India Yamaha Motor.

IYM operates from its manufacturing units at Surajpur in Uttar Pradesh and Faridabad in Haryana, and produces motorcycles for both domestic and export markets.