Ikuo Maeda to replace Laurens van den Acker as General Manager of Design at Mazda

Ikuo Maeda has been appointed General Manager of Mazda Motor Corporation's Design Division. He replaces Laurens van den Acker, who has decided to leave Mazda to pursue other interests.

Following on from the successful tenure of van den Acker, Maeda will lead the Japanese automaker's global design team and be responsible for the overall design and styling of Mazda's global products. The 49-year old designer was appointed to the top job from his previous position as Chief Designer of the Design Strategic Studio at Mazda's world headquarters in Hiroshima, Japan, where he will continue to be based.

Maeda joined Mazda's Product Planning Department in April 1982 after earning an Industrial design degree from Kyoto Technical and Textile University, and was put in charge of advanced design at Mazda's Yokohama Design Studio in 1985. Following a three-year work assignment at Mazda North America in the late 1980s, he held a succession of prominent design positions before being dispatched to Ford's Design Studio in Detroit, Michigan in 1999.

Upon his return to Mazda in Hiroshima in 2000 as Chief Designer, he led the team responsible for the highly acclaimed Mazda RX-8 sports car. More recently, Maeda was Chief Designer for the new Mazda2, which was crowned 2008 World Car of the Year.

"Maeda-san has played a pivotal role in the success that Mazda Design has experienced globally," says Seita Kanai, Mazda's Senior Executive Officer of Research and Design. "His local and global experience makes him well-qualified to take Mazda Design to the next stage."

Van den Acker took over the top position from Moray Callum in 2006, introducing the Nagare (flow) form language soon after - a theme that spawned a slew of acclaimed concepts and which has strongly influenced Mazda design. Following his appointment three years ago, he told CDN: "Moray and the design team took Mazda from zero to hero, my job is to take Mazda from hero to superhero."

"We appreciate the contribution made by Laurens van den Acker," says Kanai, "He and his team have taken Mazda Design to new heights and we wish him well for the future."

Van den Acker will remain at Mazda until April 10. He declined to comment on his future plans.

By Eric Gallina