Honda Announces Masanao Kataoka as New President Director of PT Honda Prospect Motor
PT Honda Prospect Motor (HPM) today announced a leadership structure change through a handover ceremony to Masanao Kataoka as the new President Director. In this event, Shugo Watanabe officially handed over his position as President Director of PT Honda Prospect Motor after leading the company in recent years. With more than two decades of experience at Honda in various fields, Masanao Kataoka will lead Honda in Indonesia to face the increasingly dynamic developments in the automotive industry.
Indonesia is one of Honda’s important global markets, with significant growth potential and an evolving market character. Through its new leadership, Honda is committed to continuing to deliver products and services relevant to the needs of Indonesian consumers, while strengthening the company’s long-term business foundations.
Kataoka began his career at Honda in 2000 and has extensive experience in various strategic functions within Honda’s automotive business. He was previously involved in Marketing & Sales in the Philippines and Malaysia, before focusing on Product Planning in Japan. In recent years, he has also been responsible for Life Cycle Business Planning and Automobile Business Strategy, with a focus on developing product portfolios aligned with changing consumer needs and global automotive industry dynamics. Additionally, he has experience working in several markets in the Asia region, including the Philippines and Malaysia, which gives him a broad perspective on market characteristics and consumer expectations in the ASEAN region.
“I feel honoured to be entrusted with leading Honda in Indonesia. Indonesia has always been one of Honda’s very important global markets, with great potential and a highly dynamic automotive industry landscape. I want to continue bringing Honda to grow together with consumers in Indonesia by delivering enjoyable, reliable, and relevant mobility experiences at every stage of their lives,” said Masanao Kataoka.
On the same occasion, Honda also expressed appreciation to Shugo Watanabe for his leadership during his tenure as President Director of PT Honda Prospect Motor. During his leadership, Watanabe played an important role in strengthening Honda’s business foundations in Indonesia, including through strengthening the dealer network, improving after-sales service quality, and preparing Honda’s initial steps in facing the electrification era, with the launch of more mass-market hybrid products.
“It is an honour for me to be part of Honda’s journey in Indonesia. I am very proud of the achievements that have been accomplished together with the entire Honda Indonesia team, as well as the support from our consumers and partners. I believe Honda will continue to grow and deliver greater value to consumers in Indonesia in the future,” said Shugo Watanabe.
Looking ahead, Honda will continue to strengthen its strategy in Indonesia through two main approaches: a more structured product strategy and strengthening the dealer network and after-sales services. Through this strategy, Honda ensures that every model in its product portfolio has a clear role in supporting consumers’ mobility journeys at various stages of life.