Kett to succeed Takesue as GWM ANZ chief operating officer

GWM Australian and New Zealand has confirmed that experienced automotive executive John Kett will succeed Hidesuke Takesuke as chief operating officer on February 3, 2025.

Takesue will retire from the company after seven years of service. During that time, he helped guide GWM to a top-10 market position.

Kett arrives at GWM with 35 years industry experience, most recently from Hyundai Australia where he served as chief operating officer for five and a half years.

Before Hyundai, Kett held several senior roles in Australia, China, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and Indonesia, working for brands such as Holden, Fiat Chrysler, SsangYong, and SAIC. 

Kett’s nearly seven years with FCA in Shanghai, from 2009 to 2015, included senior roles such as vice president, general manager of operations APAC, Head of the Jeep brand, and APAC CFO.

His leadership style has been influenced by his time in roles across the Asia Pacific, which was deemed an essential factor in his appointment.

“I am incredibly excited to be joining GWM, a brand driven by a very talented workforce, partnered with a very focused and engaged dealer network, and enabled by an ever-evolving portfolio and technology offering,” Kett says. 

“The sheer weight of numbers behind GWM certainly positions the brand very well at a time customers are most discerning. Redefining and building confidence around the core values that differentiate the GWM brand is key,” he says.

“We are delighted to have someone with John’s broad industry and cross-cultural experience join the team in this critical senior leadership role, GWM ANZ managing director Charles Zhao says. 

At the same time, I would like to thank Take-San for his leadership over the last seven years and for helping build the GWM business into what it is today. I wish him the very best in his retirement. 

We now look to John to lead the local team towards further growth in brand value and sales volume in 2025 and beyond,” he says.

In 2024, GWM sold a record 45,954 new vehicles across Australia and New Zealand.