NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Toyota today announced new management assignments for executives at Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMA).
TMA, the North American subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), is headquartered in New York, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Miami, Florida, and is the holding company for Toyota's North American sales, engineering and manufacturing operating units.
"The changes we're announcing today will allow TMA to better serve Toyota's North American affiliates and enhance the coordination, speed and productivity of our North American operations," said Jim Press, president of TMA. "I commend all TMA associates for their hard work and dedication and look forward to a successful 2007."
Among the new assignments include:
* Steve Sturm will be joining TMA as Group Vice President of Americas Strategic Research and Planning and Corporate Communications, effective January 1, 2007. In this role, Steve will be responsible for corporate strategy and planning, strategic research across the Americas and image research. He will also have responsibility for corporate advertising and marketing communications, as well as media and investor relations. (New York, Miami) * Shigeru Handa will assume a new role as Group Vice President & Coordinating Officer for Americas Strategic Research & Planning. (New York, Miami) * Pat Pineda, in her new role as Group Vice President, Philanthropy & Administration, and General Counsel, will assume responsibility for all administration, including accounting and finance, legal affairs, facilities, and day to day IT support, in addition to her current role managing human resources, philanthropy, and the Toyota USA Foundation. (New York) * Anna Schneider is promoted to Vice President Government Affairs and Deputy to the Group Vice President. (Washington) * Bob Wimmer is promoted to National Manager Technical & Regulatory Affairs - Environment. (Washington) * Robert Chiappetta is promoted to Manager in the Government Affairs Group. (Washington) * Donna Rhudy is promoted to Manager in the Government Affairs Group. (Washington) * Thibaut de Barros Conti is promoted to Manager in the Americas Strategic Planning and Research Group. (New York) * Trina Ewald is promoted to Assistant Manager in Investor & Media Relations. (New York) * Chris Santucci is promoted to Assistant Manager in Technical and Regulatory Affairs - Safety. (Washington)
Toyota (NYSE:TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and will operate 15 manufacturing plants in North America by 2008. There are more than 1,700 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sell more than 2.5 million vehicles a year. Toyota directly employs over 39,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $17.6 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $29 billion. According to a 2005 Center for Automotive Research study, Toyota, along with its dealers and suppliers, has generated nearly 400,000 U.S. jobs, including jobs created through spending by direct, dealer and suppliers employees. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com.