Toyota’s North American operations today announced executive leadership changes designed to continue driving growth, fostering strong dealer and customer relations, achieving carbon neutrality goals and becoming the Mobility company of choice for consumers.
The following changes are effective June 20, 2022, unless otherwise noted.
Corporate Resources and Manufacturing: Changes include a retirement and cascading backfills. In addition, Information Systems Solutions and Technology is transitioned from Digital Transformation and Mobility (DTM) to Corporate Resources, creating structural changes and new positions.
- Tracey Doi, group vice president and chief financial officer, TMNA, will retire effective August 1.
- Tim Ingle, group vice president, Enterprise Strategy, TMNA, will succeed Doi and is promoted to group vice president and CFO, reporting to Chris Reynolds, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, Corporate Resources, TMNA.
- Laura Pierce, vice president, Revenue Management and Product Profitability, TMNA, will succeed Ingle and is promoted to group vice president, Enterprise Strategy, reporting to Ingle.
- Jason Reid, vice president, Manufacturing Project Innovation Center (MPIC), TMNA, will succeed Pierce as vice president, Revenue Management and Product Profitability, reporting to Ingle.
- Natalie Wilkinson, general manager, North American Production Center, Strategic Business Management, TMNA, will succeed Reid and is promoted to vice president, MPIC. Wilkinson will report to
- Stephen Brennan, group vice president, Vehicle Production Engineering, TMNA.
- Sandra Phillips Rogers, group vice president, chief legal officer, general counsel and chief diversity officer, TMNA, is promoted to a newly created position of senior vice president, corporate resources and general counsel, TMNA. In this role, Phillips Rogers will take on the added responsibilities of Corporate Shared Services, Toyota de Mexico, and continues leading the teams from Legal, Sustainability & Regulatory Affairs, and Social Innovation. In addition, Jacqueline Thomas, group vice president and chief compliance officer, Compliance and Audit Office, TMNA, will continue to report directly to Ted Ogawa, chief executive officer, TMNA, and have a dotted-line responsibility to Phillips Rogers, who will continue to report to Reynolds.
- Sean Suggs, group vice president and chief social innovation officer, Social Innovation, TMNA, takes on the new position of president, Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina (TBMNC). In this new role, Suggs will be responsible for the operations of the company’s future battery plant in North Carolina. Suggs will report to Norm Bafunno, senior vice president, Unit Manufacturing and Engineering, TMNA.
- Tellis Bethel, vice president, Voluntary Protection Products, Toyota Financial Services (TFS), will succeed Suggs and is promoted to group vice president and chief social innovation officer, Social Innovation, TMNA. Bethel will report to Phillips Rogers. A successor for Bethel will be named at a later date.
- Chris Yang, vice president, Business Development and Deputy General Counsel, TMNA, is promoted to group vice president, Business Development, Deputy General Counsel. In this dual-capped role, Yang will continue to report to Phillips Rogers and Reynolds.
Sales: Changes include a retirement and cascading backfills.
- Bob Carter, executive vice president, Sales, TMNA, and president, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. (TMS), will retire June 30.
- Jack Hollis, senior vice president, Automotive Operations, TMNA, will succeed Carter as executive vice president, Sales, TMNA and president, TMS, reporting to Ogawa.
- Andrew Gilleland, group vice president and general manager, Lexus Division, TMNA, is promoted to senior vice president, Automotive Operations, succeeding Hollis. Gilleland will report to Hollis.
- Dejuan Ross, vice president, Sales, Toyota Financial Services (TFS), is promoted to group vice president and general manager, Lexus Division, TMNA, reporting to Gilleland.
- Cooper Ericksen, group vice president, Product Planning and Strategy, TMNA, is promoted to senior vice president, Product, BEV and Mobility Planning and Strategy. Ericksen will report to Hollis.
- Shawn Domeraki, general manager, Demand and Supply Management, TMNA, is promoted to a new role as vice president, Product and Mobility Planning, reporting to Ericksen.
Research & Development (R&D) and DTM: Changes include retirement and cascading backfills. To streamline functions and leverage greater synergies, as noted above, Information Systems Solutions and Technology is transitioned to Corporate Resources, which includes an expanded global role for Cyber Security.
- Zack Hicks, chief executive officer and president, Toyota Connected North America (TCNA), executive vice president and chief digital officer, TMNA, will retire effective July 22.
- Holly Walters, group vice president and chief information officer, Information Systems, TMNA, will report to Reynolds as a result of shifting Information Systems Solutions and Technology to the Corporate Resources pillar.
- Josh Davis, group vice president and chief cybersecurity officer, TMNA, and senior vice president and chief information security officer, TCNA, adds additional global responsibilities and is named group vice president and chief cybersecurity officer, and senior advisor – global enterprise security, TMC. Davis will continue to report to Walters.
- Steve Basra, in his dual-capped role as group vice president, Connected Technologies, TMNA, will report to Shinichi Yasui, executive vice president, R&D, TMNA. This change is a result of the Connected Technologies function transitioning to R&D.
- Charan Lota, vice president, executive chief engineer, Connected Technologies, TMNA, is promoted to group vice president, Connected Technologies. Charan will continue to report to Basra.
Toyota Connected North America (TCNA): Changes include the retirement of Hicks, as noted above, and cascading backfills.
- Steve Basra, in his dual-capped role will succeed Hicks as CEO and president, TCNA, assuming the role of president and CEO, TCNA. Basra will report to chairman of the Board of TCNA.
- Chris Yang, in his dual-capped role, will add a new responsibility as executive vice president and chief operating officer, TCNA. Yang will join the Board of Directors, TCNA and report to the chairman of the Board, TCNA.
- Yosuke Tsuruta, vice president, Connected Technologies, TMNA, in his dual-capped role, will add a new assignment as chief administrative officer, TCNA. Tsuruta will join the Board of Directors, TCNA, and report to the chairman of the Board, TCNA.
Product Support: Change includes expanded responsibility.
- Kevin Austin, vice president, Demand and Supply Management, TMNA, is promoted to group vice president, Demand and Supply Management and Supply Chain Transformation, TMNA, reflecting an expansion of responsibilities to support the company’s electrification initiatives. Austin will continue to report to Keith Robertson, group vice president, Supply Chain Management, TMNA.
Toyota Motor Corporate (TMC) Executives/Overseas Assignments
- Naoki Kojima, Treasurer, TMNA, will return to Japan on a new assignment, effective August 1.
- Masanao Watanabe, Treasurer, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing U.S., is dual-capped and will add Treasurer, TMNA to his responsibilities, succeeding Kojima. Watanabe will report to Ogawa and will be based in Plano, Texas.
- Kurt Drake, joins the company in a newly created role as vice president, Global Compliance, TMC, reporting to Reynolds and will be based in Plano, Texas.
Toyota Financial Services (TFS): Changes include enhancing core capabilities, better leveraging shared services to support Private Label business and global operations, and a retirement.
- Cindy Wang, group vice president, Accounting, Tax and Indirect Procurement Shared Services, TFS, takes on a new role as group vice president, Global Initiatives, TFS. Wang will continue to report to Scott Cooke, senior vice president and CFO, TFS.
- Karen Ideno, group vice president, Private Label Business, TFS, takes on a new role as group vice president, ESG and Indirect Procurement Shared Services, TFS. Ideno will now report to Cooke.
- James Schofield, vice president, Finance, Treasury, Competitiveness, Mergers and Acquisitions, TFS, is promoted to group vice president, Finance, Treasury, Competitiveness, Mergers and Acquisitions. Schofield will continue to report to Cooke.
- Mike Owens, group vice president, chief risk officer, TFS, will retire effective July 15.
- Kris Pritchard, rejoins TFS as vice president, chief risk officer. Pritchard will report to Mark Templin, president and chief executive officer, TFS.
- Briana Nelson, general manager, Lexus Eastern Area, TMNA, will succeed Dejuan Ross, and is promoted to vice president, Marketing, TFS. Nelson will report to Alec Hagey, senior vice president and chief operating officer, TFS.
“These changes are designed to support our transformation and growth strategy, enhancing core capabilities to better support our customers, dealers, private label business and global operations,” said Mark Templin, CEO, TFS. “I’m confident we have the right executive team in place. Each one brings a sense of ownership, passion and expertise that will help further deliver on our goals and results.” At the same time, I want to thank Mike Owens for his contributions to TFS and wish him all the best.”
