Japan – The moves are part of a revision of the company’s organisational structure which will be implemented next year in a bid to strengthen cooperation between different business divisions and to boost innovation. Appointments at Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) will be effective from January 1, 2018.
Tetsuo Ogawa is being promoted to senior managing officer at Toyota Motor Corporation, but will also continue his role at Plano, Texas, as TMNA executive vice-president and chief administrative officer, in which he oversees all corporate resources and product support in the region.
Mike Sweers becomes executive general manager of CV Company, an in-house organisation at TMC which focuses on commercial vehicles; in parallel, he will continue as chief engineer. Sweers previously took care of light truck platforms, including those used for the Tundra and Sequoia in North America, but he will now work globally on the IMV-platform. He is currently in Japan on assignment from TMNA R&D.
Gill Pratt takes up the new position of fellow, which was established within the Advanced R&D and Engineering Company at TMC so that executives with expertise in specific technical domains can contribute to company management. Pratt will continue to serve as CEO of TRI, which was launched in 2015 with a $1 billion investment to focus on the future of mobility.
