News Releases

Mazda Names Satoshi Aratake as MNAO’s New Vice President, QA

IRVINE, Calif. (October 1, 2026) — Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today announced the immediate appointment of Satoshi Aratake as MNAO's vice president, quality assurance.

In this role, Aratake will lead MNAO's newly defined Quality Assurance division, shaping quality strategy across the full vehicle lifecycle. He will work across MNAO and MC to support regulatory compliance, customer trust and the long-term strength of the Mazda brand.

Aratake, who previously served as General Manager of a specialized, high-profile sector of the Quality Division at Mazda Motor Corporation (MC) in Hiroshima, Japan, brings years of experience to MNAO and will report directly into Tom Donnelly, president and CEO at MNAO.

"Satoshi brings a strong track record of quality management to MNAO, and I’m pleased to welcome him to our executive team," said Donnelly. "Defining QA as its own division, under Satoshi’s leadership, will advance our efforts across not only vehicle quality, but R&D and design, allowing MNAO to accelerate improvements and innovations with a committed focus."

In line with this announcement, Yoshiyuki Wada’s title changes to vice president, R&D & design. Wada will continue leading North American product strategy development while strengthening alignment across teams supporting manufacturing in the U.S. and Mexico.

About Mazda North American Operations

Proudly founded in Hiroshima, Japan, Mazda has a history of sophisticated craftsmanship and innovation, and a purpose to enrich life-in-motion for those it serves. By putting humans at the center of everything it does, Mazda aspires to create uplifting experiences with our vehicles and for people. Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Colombia through approximately 795 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ontario; operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City; and operations in Colombia are managed by Mazda de Colombia in Bogota, Colombia. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at news.mazdausa.com.

Follow @MazdaUSA on social media: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Threads.