Kenji Harada has been appointed new president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc., replacing Juyu Jeon, who will return to Japan after four years at the company.
Harada becomes the CEO effective July 1, but will be acting president and CEO effective immediately. He was previously appointed CCO of the company on April 1 of this year.
After two years as CEO of Mitsubishi Canada, Jeon has been appointed general manager of sales and marketing for North Asia, which includes China, the company’s largest market based on sales volume.
“I have had the privilege of working hand-in-hand with Mr. Harada for several months on a smooth transition and I enthusiastically pass the torch to a new leader that shows an incredible commitment to Canadian dealers and our customers,” Jeon said in a statement.
Jeon led back-to-back record sales years in 2018 and 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped just about every automaker in their tracks.
“Mitsubishi Motors in Canada has come a long way in the past four years and we are well-positioned to take this evolution even further anchored by a strong product transformation plan and strong leadership,” Jeon said in his statement.
The automaker said it is now up to Harada to “build on the mission of transformation.”
Harada began his career at Mitsubishi Motors Corp. more than 25 years ago in the company’s parts division. He progressively grew his career from there.
Prior to joining Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, he served as general manager of Mitsubishi’s Vietnam and Malaysia department.
From his office in Mississauga, Ont., Harada will oversee 93 dealerships across Canada and a parts distribution centre, also in Mississauga.
“We will focus on building on the excellent foundation built and bring even greater support to our dealer partners,” Harada said. “We have an incredible opportunity over the next few years to solidify our position as a PHEV [plug-in hybrid electric vehicle] leader, and to deliver on a brand promise to help our customers drive their ambition.”
The Outlander PHEV is currently Canada’s top selling plug-in hybrid, according to the automaker.
