Top Mitsubishi Australia executive departs

MITSUBISHI Motors Australia Limited’s vice-president of corporate strategy and P&A (parts and accessories), Paul Stevenson, has departed after more than two decades of service as the company continues its wide-ranging organisational restructure.

Under MMAL president and CEO Mutsuhiro Oshikiri, a “newly aligned” aftersales division has been created “to increase structural efficiency and enhance close communication and co-operation amongst its aftersales and customer service related departments”.

The company has advised that the new division brings customer quality assurance, customer advocacy and service, P&A sales, P&A operations and P&A engineering functions into one group, with several managers within the division reporting directly to Mr Oshikiri.

In a statement, MMAL said the consolidation will enable quicker decisions to be made and will also benefit from a closer alignment with parent Mitsubishi Motors Corporation’s global aftersales department.

From top: MMAL president and CEO Mutsuhiro Oshikiri 2013 Mitsubishi Mirage.

Mr Stevenson, who was also director of corporate affairs and human resources – and oversaw the introduction of the i-MiEV electric car in Australia – had worked for the Japanese brand since 1991 and was responsible for key areas of the company over the period.

He was appointed to MMAL’s board in September 2004, and remains a member of the Southern Adelaide Economic Development Board, which is chaired by former MMAL president and CEO Tom Phillips.

In announcing the new aftersales department and Mr Stevenson’s departure, MMAL said: “We thank him for his 21 years of service in a career that has spanned sales, finance, corporate strategy, corporate affairs, human resources and P&A. We wish him well in his future endeavours.”

The move follows the departure in November of the company’s vice-president of sales, Anthony Casey, who had also served for more than 20 years.

Mr Casey was likewise not replaced, leaving area managers to report directly to Mr Oshikiri as part of MMAL’s corporate restructuring “with a greater focus on regional development”.

Head office national sales staff also now report directly to Mr Oshikiri, who declared in August last year: “We have to change the company or we will not survive.”

In parallel, Mr Oshikiri has set ambitious longer-term targets for the brand in Australia, including 100,000 sales a year and an eight per cent market share.

The latest VFACTS sales figures show that Mitsubishi finished 2012 down 3.7 per cent in last year’s record-breaking new-vehicle market, with 58,868 registrations and a 5.3 per cent market share.

Mr Oshikiri said this week that the new Mirage to be released later this month is expected to provide the triple-diamond brand with “a strong boost to passenger sales in 2013” and that the company was “looking towards sustainable growth” across its entire range this year.