Mazda Europe PR Director Neil Warrior among the victims of Air France 447

After search and rescue workers found only debris from Air France 447, reports increasingly doubt the possibility that there will be any survivors from the Rio-to-Paris flight that went missing Sunday over the Atlantic. Among the lives believed to be lost is Neil Stuart Warrior, director of public relations for Mazda's European division.

Warrior was born on April 13, 1961, in Hillingdon, England. Over the course of his career, he worked in the PR departments at Fiat and Alfa Romeo before moving over to SAP, where he ascended to head the business-tech giant's marketing and communications at the young age of 35, before moving into his position at Mazda Motor Europe two years ago.

As closely as automakers' various public relations officers work with members of the media on the reporting end, Neil's loss hits particularly close to home. A memorial service is scheduled for June 8 at 6pm in Cologne, Germany. Our condolences go out to Warrior's surviving father, sister and brother.

Official press release after the jump.

[Source: Mazda]

PRESS RELEASE:

LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY – June 3, 2009: Mazda Motor Europe has confirmed that Neil Stuart Warrior, Director of Public Relations, was a passenger on Air France flight 447 from Rio to Paris. Mr. Warrior's death has not been officially confirmed, but yesterday parts of the Airbus were recovered in the Atlantic Ocean and it is unlikely that there were any survivors.

"Our entire company is shocked and saddened by this terrible news," said Jeff Guyton, President and CEO of Mazda Motor Europe. "It simply isn't enough to say Neil will be sorely missed. This loss goes deeper than that, because someone like Neil cannot be replaced. He was a warm, kind and fun person who will never be forgotten by those who knew him. Our hearts go out to his father, sister and brother. We want them to know that it was a privilege to have had Neil as our colleague and friend."

Neil Warrior was born on 13 April 1961 in Hillingdon, England, and was university educated. He worked in automotive public relations at the start of his career with jobs at Fiat and Alfa Romeo. When he was just 35, he was appointed Communications Manager at SAP-UK in 1997, and after management jobs in Germany and the USA, was named Director of Marketing and Communications for SAP's European organisation in 2003. He joined Mazda Motor Europe as PR Director in 2007, where he was responsible for product communications. A memorial service for Neil Warrior is planned for Monday 8 June 2009 at 18:00 in Cologne, Germany.