Jane Nakagawa is vice president of the R&D Business Unit at American Honda Motor Co., Inc., (AHM) overseeing multiple divisions responsible for the design and development of Honda and Acura core business products and experiences, as well as business innovation aligned to the second founding of Honda and the focus on new products and services.
Nakagawa joined Honda R&D Americas, LLC (HRA) in 2016, as division director of Advanced Product Planning, overseeing market and customer strategy, lineup strategy, and product concept creation.
In 2019, she became director of the Future Mobility & Solutions Division of HRA, responsible for creating compelling user experiences for the next generation of Honda customers.
In April 2021, Nakagawa took on the role as assistant vice president of the User Experience Department and transitioned into AHM as part of a corporate restructuring that led to the integration of the auto styling operations of HRA into AHM.
In April 2023, Nakagawa assumed her current role as vice president of the R&D Business Unit.
Prior to joining Honda, Nakagawa held various roles within the mobility industry, beginning her career in planning for motorcycles, snowmobiles and water vehicles for a major powersports brand and then becoming a director of advanced planning & strategy for a major automaker. She also was a contributing automotive writer and led strategic planning for advertising agencies.
Outside of her role at American Honda, Nakagawa is a Design Challenge Judge for Stanford University’s Center on Longevity and a member of the board of trustees for the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, California. She also has served as a member of the board of Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Washington, D.C.
Nakagawa earned a B.A. in Studio Art from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
