Toyota Europe has shuffled positions of the top executives running its European region to ensure continued growth and success, the company said in a release.
Yoshihiro Nakata, 55, was promoted from deputy CEO to CEO of the Europe Region and will be responsible for strategic planning, communication and service as the division liaison with Toyota headquarters in Japan, the company said Monday.
Matthew Harrison, 55, formerly CEO of the Europe region, will now serve as chief operating officer for Europe and remain responsible for "implementation, operational excellence and commercial success in Europe," the company said.
The company said the changes to its European operations are part of a global approach, announced today by Toyota Motor Corp. under the theme Inheritance and Evolution, and is prompted by a desire "to further accelerate toward a once-in-a-century transformation by further enhancing the flow of expertise between global and regional operations."
The changes come in the wake of Koji Sato's ascension to CEO of Toyota Motor last month, taking over from Akio Toyoda, a member of the automaker’s founding family who will become the company's chairman.