Director Carolyn McMahon will succeed Stephen Collins as Honda Australia chief operating officer when he steps down from the position on November 4, 2022.
Under Collin’s decade long leadership of Honda’s local automotive arm, the business has gone through significant transformational change.
“It has been a privilege to lead the Honda team for more than a decade and the business now has a strong foundation for the future,” Collins says.
“It has been an honour to represent a global brand that is filled with passionate and talented people, but now is the right time to hand the baton to the next generation,” he says.
Last year, the Honda automotive business launched an industry first “agency model”, aimed at providing new car buyers with a transparent and seamless buying and ownership experience. This included a new Honda Centre network, centralised marketing and stock management, and the ‘Honda Price Promise’ that delivers certainty of price for customers.
The company says Collins played a significant role in the establishment and stabilisation of this new business model.
More recently he was at the forefront of unifying Honda’s local automotive and motorcycle/power equipment businesses after being run as two separate business operations for the past 30 years. The unification includes substantial investment such as a new joint head office, new national parts distribution centre and expansion of the site located in Melbourne’s north.
“First and foremost, we thank and appreciate Stephens dedication to Honda’s business operations in Australia,” Honda Australia managing director and chief Yoshitaka Okamoto says.
He has given advance notice of the timing of his departure but is committed to working with the team to finalise a number of important projects and initiatives.”
“His leadership, strategic thinking and strong relationships across the network, industry and government, have been critical in establishing a strong base for the future of Honda,” Okamoto says.
McMahon who currently sits on the Honda Australia board and is an existing director within the business, will now also be responsible for the automotive business.
“Carolyn is a widely respected leader within Honda and her 27 years’ experience with the company puts her in a strong position to lead the future of Honda in Australia,” Okamoto says.
“Whilst I am saddened that my close colleague, Stephen, has decided to depart, I thank him for his substantial contribution to Honda and wish him, and his family, all the very best for the future,” McMahon says.
“As we start the next phase for the company, we have a strong group of leaders at Honda Australia who are well placed to take the business forward,” she says.
