Yugo Kiyofuji assumes SGAP’s CEO Position as Yosuke Nishi steps Down

Last April 1, Yugo Kiyofuji assumed his post as president and CEO of Sojitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP), the company that oversees the Geely business in the country. He replaces Yosuke Nishi, who has headed the establishment since 2019.

Last year, SGAP sold over 6,000 vehicles, marking a 183% increase from 2020 under Nishi’s leadership. Geely Philippines noted that its sales milestone of 10,000 units was achieved “in just two years and eight months” since beginning operations. The company was able to achieve this through its popular subcompact ‘Coolray’ which often topped its segment in sales.

“We are indeed fortunate that despite the challenges of the pandemic, we have achieved this feat in less than three years, which we believe is the fastest in the industry,” said SGAP General Manager for Sales and Marketing Froilan Dytianquin.

“I’m very lucky to have been assigned to SGAP. Geely is my baby because I’m the one who introduced the Geely brand in the Philippines back in 2019. It was indeed a challenging but rewarding experience. I cherish the memory of working together (with the team) to level up SGAP,” said Nishi in his speech to Kiyofuji.

According to a statement from Geely Philippines, Kiyofuji has over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry as well as “other OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and automotive-related companies in various overseas markets such as the Middle East, Latin America, and Australia.”

“We are very much excited to take on the challenge,” the new Geely Philippines head declared.

SGAP also prepares to welcome Kazuki Sugino as its chief administrative officer “to strengthen the quality of operations throughout SGAP.”

“Our role is to take SGAP to the next level and become one of the top 5 brands by 2025,” said the new CEO. Kiyofuji aims to accomplish these goals through his three-pronged approach of introducing new vehicles and enhancing existing models, strengthening the dealership network quantity and quality, and providing value-added services to the customer while assuring satisfaction.

Furthermore, Kiyofuji was asked for his views on the Philippine markets where he stated:

“As a macro-economy, the Philippines is going to be a booming economy from now on. You have more than 100 million people. What I understand is that more than 50% are aged less than 24 years old. They are going to be the actual buyers, going forward.”

He then added, “Filipinos are accepting of other brands, unlike other markets. They look at the details and don’t care too much where the vehicle is actually made in. That facilitates the business for me.”

Source: Business World