Jo Stenuit appointed Mazda Europe Design Director

Stenuit, 49, a graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, has been part of the Mazda design team in Europe for over twenty years and has held various positions at Mazda’s European design center in Oberursel, Germany.

Mikael Loyer, Jo Stenuit and Peter Birtwhistle check the design of the Kiyora Concept

Most recently he was Head of Interior Design and Brand Style, being responsible for uplifting the Mazda brand in Europe.

He has been lead interior designer of the two concept cars Kiyora (2008) and Hakaze (2007) as well as of the previous generation of the Mazda3 (2008).

Masato Ogawa and Jo Stenuit checking the ergonomics of the interior of the Hakaze concept

Above: interior of the Mazda Kiyora Concept

He also spent two years in Mazda’s global headquarters in Hiroshima developing the interior design of the Mazda CX-7 (2004-2006).

In his new role, Jo will report to Ikuo Maeda, Mazda’s Global Design Chief, as well as Hajime Seikaku, who is Vice President of Mazda’s European R&D.

About Jo Stenuit

Education

• MA in Vehicle Design from the Royal College of Art in London, UK
• MA in Product Design – Artesis University College Antwerp, Belgium

1998-2006

Joined Mazda Motor Europe in Oberursel as Designer of advanced ideas for production and concept interiors

2006-2014

Assistant Chief Designer at Mazda Motor Europe in Oberursel, including:
• Kiyora Concept _Paris 2008 (Project Manager)
• Hakaze Concept _Geneva 2007 (Interior Designer)
• Mazda 3 production interior _2008 (Interior Designer)
• Mazda CX-7 2004 – 2006 in Hiroshima (Lead Interior Designer)
• Mazda 6 MPS concept _2002 (Lead Interior Designer)

2014- November 2018

Senior Design Manager at Mazda Motor Europe in Oberursel, Germany

November 2018
Design Director at Mazda Motor Europe in Oberursel, Germany

Official Statements

“Thanks to our award-winning KODO – Soul of Motion design philosophy, Mazda designers in Europe and elsewhere have been a key driver of the success of our products, creating beautiful cars that resonate with our customers,” said Jeff Guyton, President and CEO of Mazda Motor Europe.

“We are delighted, with his depth of understanding of our brand, that Jo will be leading our design team in Europe. Together with his team, we know he will continue to ensure that our philosophy is being applied not only in our cars, but in everything we do.”

(Source: Mazda)