Mazda Appoints New North American CFO

- Matthew Foulston Will Head Finance Operations in U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico -

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 16 -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today announced that Matthew Foulston has been appointed to the position of senior vice president and chief financial officer, replacing Shinji Mizukane, who returned to Mazda Motor Corporation in Japan.

In a related move, the company also announced the promotion of Jim Lievois to vice president of finance from director of finance, treasury and administration.

Foulston, who will report to MNAO's President and CEO, Jim O'Sullivan, will be responsible for all financial aspects of the business including overseeing purchasing, facilities, customs and administration for MNAO.

A 22-year veteran of Ford Motor Company, Foulston most recently was controller, material planning & logistics for Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich. Prior to this, he held a number of key roles in finance in the U.S. and Europe, including three years as controller, large and luxury vehicles, for Ford in Germany.

Lievois, who will report to Foulston, also spent much of his career at Ford Motor Company before joining Mazda in 1997 as manager, profit and pricing analysis. He was promoted to director of finance, treasury and administration in 2001.

"With the experience and expertise Matthew brings from his domestic and international assignments with Ford, I know that he will be a valuable addition to our team," said O'Sullivan. "Together, Matthew and Jim will provide MNAO powerful leadership to continue to drive our business forward."

Foulston is a graduate of Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England, with a degree in Economics. He and his family will be relocating to Southern California over the next few months.

Lievois is a graduate of Michigan State University with a B.A. in Marketing and received his MBA from the University of Detroit.

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario, Canada, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.