Toyota in executive diversity drive

Toyota has appointed its first non-Japanese vice-president as well as its first western female executive, as it seeks to diversify its top ranks and respond to the government's call for "womenomics".

The world's biggest carmaker by sales on Wednesday said that Didier Leroy, president and chief executive of Toyota's European operations, would take over the company's "number one" business unit, becoming its most senior non-Japanese executive. Mr Leroy is a French citizen.

In terms of the hierarchy of the Japanese group, the six executive vice-presidents rank beneath Takeshi Uchiyamada, chairman, and Akio Toyoda, chief executive.

The company said it had appointed Julie Hamp as managing officer - its first female non-Japanese executive. Her position is five rungs below Mr Toyoda.

Japanese companies are under pressure from Shinzo Abe, prime minister, to improve governance and raise the country's growth potential by appointing executives from outside the typical corporate structure.

Toyota in 2013 brought in former General Motors executive Mark Hogan as an advisory board member.

The Abe administration is also seeking to have women in 30 per cent of senior managerial roles by 2020 - up from about 8 per cent last year. This compares with roughly 40 per cent in the US.

Ms Hamp, a US citizen and currently a vice-president at Toyota Motor North America, will be chief communications officer as well as the deputy for external and public affairs.

Under a plan announced in April 2013, Toyota divided itself into four business units - known as Toyota number one, Toyota number two, Lexus international and "unit centre" - as a way of decentralising and giving more autonomy to its regional operations.

Mr Leroy took over the European business in 2010 when Toyota was severely lossmaking in the region. He has since overseen a sharp turnround.

The carmaker recorded a €995m operating loss in Europe in the 12 months to the end of March 2009. In the first nine months of the current financial year, operating profit stood at €474m.

That was in spite of the fact that sales have declined from 1.1m in Europe in the 2008 calendar year to 888,000 in 2014. Globally, Toyota sold 10.23m cars in 2014, ahead of both Volkswagen and General Motors.

Mr Leroy's new role covers R&D, manufacturing and sales - as well as product planning, design and motorsport - for North America, Europe, and Africa regions. He will also oversee sales in Japan, though will remain based in Brussels.

Johan van Zyl, chief executive of Toyota's Africa region, will take over as president and chief of the European business.

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