Suzuki NZ farewells CEO
Ian Peck, better known as Tom, would probably describe himself as a Suzuki aficionado above all else.
After all, when you spend nearly 50 years of your life with one brand it’s not just a job.
Peck, pictured, retires this week. And he will leave some pretty big boots to fill, taking with him a wealth of knowledge spanning more than 38 years of continuous service at Suzuki New Zealand Ltd.
His career started as a fresh-faced motorcycle apprentice with the Colemans Group, which at that time operated stores in several centres including Hamilton where Peck fell in love with motorcycling.
It wasn’t long before he had set his sights on some loftier goals, eventually finding himself at head office in the role of service manager across motorcycle, marine and automobile.
Peck’s love for all things mechanical shone through, especially with the development and engineering of road-race motorbikes.
A competent rider himself meant he was always looking for that extra horsepower or seconds off the next lap – owning something standard would never have been enough.
During 1994, he started working on a special project to develop a new farm bike to replace the discontinued TF185.
Following a long process of testing and prototype part manufacture, Peck developed what was at the time a Japanese domestic trail bike into the now-iconic DR200SE Trojan. This was an exceptional achievement with around 10,000 sales of the model since 1996.
The flair and skill set Peck brought to technical landed him a role in marketing as manager of the motorcycle department.
At a time when New Zealand was being swamped by used Japanese imports, it would have been easy to just accept the market for what it was.
The idea to counter these imports with new motorcycles at “can’t be beaten” prices elevated Suzuki to number one virtually overnight.
Following the GSX400X impulse, the RF900 priced at just $9,995 sold in the hundreds and it started a winning streak for Suzuki that went for more than 20 years as the number-one registered brand in this country.
The passion and respect for the road-race community was always a theme when talking with Peck.
Working with some of our best road racers saw riders such as Andrew Stroud take 10 titles for Suzuki. The support wasn’t only for the riders, but also for event sponsorship, such as the Suzuki winter road-race series and Boxing Day Cemetery Circuit.
Motocross didn’t miss out and it was a very young Josh Coppins who first signed to Suzuki in a contract penned by Peck. Coppins became a world-title contender narrowly being pipped for a second spot during the 2002 World Motocross Championships.
In 2003, Peck expanded the marketing responsibilities to also include developing the motor-vehicle division.
Since that time, he has been instrumental in growing Suzuki from a mere 1,200 units per year to record results of more than 8,000 units in some years.
It was also during this time that the Suzuki Swift became a success story for the motor-vehicle department with sales improving, not only by market share but through the dealer network across the country.
Peck’s passion for motorsport flowed across to the motor-vehicle division helping to develop the highly successful Swift Sport Cup series in conjunction with Paul Burborough from the Winger Group.
This one-make series was highly competitive and proved to be a great arena for young talent to develop their skills.
In 2011, Peck was promoted to chief executive officer and guided Suzuki NZ through some difficult territory after the global financial crisis.
Suzuki NZ is one of the few company-owned distributors that do not have a resident Japanese staff member, which reflects the confidence and trust they have had in Peck’s management.
In 2018, marine made a welcome return to the umbrella of Suzuki NZ following a 20-year absence. Since the change in distributor, market share has more than doubled under his management.
Retirement for Peck will be the start of a new adventure as he uproots and moves to be closer to his two daughters in Australia. However, his colleagues are sure his face will be one of the many at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
