PLANO, Texas, Dec. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor North
America (TMNA) today announced executive leadership changes
designed to sustain its automotive operations and to continue its
transformation in the mobility space.
Effective April 1, 2020,
Jim Lentz, chief executive officer
TMNA, will retire after 38 years with the company. Tetsuo "Ted"
Ogawa, chief operating officer TMNA, will succeed Lentz as CEO,
reporting to Didier Leroy, TMNA Vice
Chairman and president of business planning and operations, Toyota
Motor Corporation.
"Jim Lentz has had an incredible
impact on our company. He has been an outstanding leader and was
instrumental in restructuring the company and bringing together our
North American region. He deserves a lot of credit for all he has
accomplished in his many roles around the globe and he will be
greatly missed," said Ogawa. "He leaves a legacy that helped build
a stronger, more unified Toyota that is prepared to face the future
of mobility, and I am humbled and excited to continue working with
the Toyota leadership team to create an even more dynamic and
vibrant company."
In his 38-year career, Lentz has led and contributed to a number
of key milestones and great moments in Toyota's history,
including:
- Launching the Scion brand in order to capture next-generation
customers by experimenting with innovative products and services.
After completing its purpose, Scion was eventually folded into the
Toyota brand.
- Forging stronger relationships with Toyota and Lexus dealers
and financial services partners.
- Toyota and Lexus brands being recognized as leaders by
consistently providing the best customer experience in the
industry.
- Serving as a positive voice for the importance of the Auto
Industry in the U.S. and helping to champion the merger of the
industry's trade associations.
- Successfully navigating the company through several significant
challenges, such as: Quality crisis issues, the great earthquake
and tsunami in Japan, and one of
the worst recessions in U.S. history.
- And, importantly, consolidating and restructuring the company's
North American operations and rallying our team members to become,
"One Toyota." This endeavor helped
the company better serve its customers, make quicker decisions and
foster a culture of collaboration across the enterprise. The
company is now leveraging the combined strength of its team members
to continue achieving sustainable, long-term growth.
"After finalizing our One Toyota
consolidation and laying the groundwork for the future of mobility,
now is the time for a new leadership team to take the next steps to
help further transform Toyota," said Lentz. "Tetsuo Ogawa, along with our executive
leadership team, are all part of a deep bench with a proven track
record of delivering results and a relentless focus on our
customers. I'm confident the future of Toyota is in good hands with
these leaders and our 40,000 North American team members."
Ogawa will focus on further transforming Toyota into a mobility
company to better serve its customers, in and beyond the automotive
realm. This transformation includes modernizing TMNA's automotive
operations to improve efficiency and speed, strengthening
operational execution and leading the company's transition into new
areas of mobility.
Prior to his current role as COO and operating officer, Toyota
Motor Corporation, Ogawa was executive vice president and chief
administrative officer, TMNA. After joining Toyota in 1984, Ogawa's
roles included deputy chief executive officer, China Region,
president of Toyota Motor China Investment Company, Ltd., and
serving as an expatriate from Japan at Toyota Motor Sales in Torrance, California.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the
cultural fabric in the U.S. and North
America for more than 60 years, and is committed to
advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota
and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a
tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class
design, engineering, and assembly of more than 38 million cars and
trucks in North America, where we
have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in
Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and
directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the
U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in
the U.S.) sold 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the
U.S.) in 2018.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota,
visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Media Contact:
Scott Vazin
(469)
292-1082
scott.vazin@toyota.com
Eric
Booth
469-292-5290
eric.booth@toyota.com
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America