New Managers For Kenwood USA

LONG BEACH, CALIF.— Kenwood overhauled its U.S. management team starting at the top.

Kenwood Corp. of Japan named Makoto Inukai as president of Kenwood USA Corp. here and Osamu (Sam) Yonahara as executive VP. Yoshihiku Ueno was named VP of Kenwood Communications, a division of Kenwood USA.

In other changes, the company confirmed that Dan Petersen, ex-Phoenix Gold America sales and marketing VP, rejoined Kenwood after an absence of about eight years. Petersen becomes Kenwood USA senior VP market development and president of Kenwood Canada. In his last Kenwood position, Petersen was senior VP of market development at Kenwood Americas, formerly Kenwood USA's parent, from 1980-1995.

Meantime, Inukai promoted four other marketing and sales executives. Dean Hutto was elevated to home entertainment VP from home electronics national sales manager. Mike Roberts, former sales director, was appointed mobile entertainment VP. National accounts sales director Keith Wakefield became national accounts VP and Sally House became senior marketing manager. She was formerly of marketing director.

Inukai, 50, replaces Moriyuki Tamura as Kenwood USA president. Yonahara is filling a new position with the company. Inukai and Yonahara remain as members of the Kenwood USA board.

Previously, Inukai was VP/GM of product management at Kenwood's car audio division in Japan, and Yonahara was VP/GM of the company's Strategic Business Planning Division in Japan. Ueno was senior VP and executive officer at Kenwood's Communications Equipment Division in Japan.

Inukai joined Kenwood in 1977 as an electrical engineer. Yonahara, 50, joined Kenwood in 1981 in its International Marketing Division and worked at Kenwood USA in Long Beach between 1987 and 1994. Ueno, 49, a mechanical engineer, joined the Communications Equipment Division in 1977.