Building on 76-year ‘legacy’

Jay Joseph has started as president and chief executive officer of Honda Australia.

He’s now responsible for overseeing the strategic direction and operations of the company’s diverse portfolio across the ditch, encompassing the automotive, motorcycles, power equipment and marine divisions.

“Australia presents an opportunity for growth and innovation,” says Joseph. “I’m honoured to lead the business into the future of electrification while building on Honda’s 76-year legacy of engineering innovation and customer satisfaction.”

Joseph has a wealth of experience from his 27-year tenure at American Honda Motor Co. His career spans critical functions, such as product planning, regulatory compliance, sales, marketing and, most recently, leading the brand’s efforts in next-generation technologies.

Prior to his appointment, he began his career in the business with Acura public relations and product planning before moving to the product regulatory office to focus on product safety and regulatory compliance. He then moved into vehicles sales, overseeing dealer communication, training and technology.

Returning to automotive operations, Joseph led product planning, market research and vehicle quality assurance, “ensuring the customer’s voice was central to product development”. 

More recently, he was vice-president of marketing and customer experience. In that role, he managed marketing, public relations and customer-experience initiatives for Honda and Acura.

That was followed by leading the connected, automated, shared, electrified (CASE) and energy business unit, spearheading Honda’s efforts in electrification and new-energy solutions.

Yoshitaka Okamoto, former president of Honda Australia, has assumed a leadership position within Honda in its motorsports division in Japan.