Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) has announced changes in its leadership structure and executive roles, effective April 1, 2025. The company is eliminating the chief strategy officer position to distribute responsibilities among its leadership team. This move aims to provide leaders with more experience and growth opportunities.
The revised strategic functions at TMNA will include Enterprise Resources, Enterprise Strategy and Solutions, Enterprise Integrity, and Research & Development.
Kim Cockrell has been promoted to senior vice president, chief administrative officer, and chief human resources officer. In this new role, she will oversee OneTech, Privacy & Governance, Corporate Shared Services, while continuing her Human Resources duties. She will report directly to Ted Ogawa, president and CEO of TMNA.
Chris Yang will be promoted to senior vice president of Enterprise Strategy and Solutions (ES&S). He will guide strategy development as Toyota evolves into a mobility company. Yang will also maintain his global roles as deputy chief compliance officer and deputy chief risk officer at Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). With these changes, he transitions to senior advisor at Toyota Connected North America (TCNA), stepping down from his role as president and CEO of TCNA.
Sandra Phillips will continue as senior vice president of Enterprise Integrity and report directly to Ogawa. Mike Sweers remains in his position as executive vice president and chief technology officer for Research and Development at TMNA.
Ted Ogawa stated: “As Toyota’s transformation to a mobility company continues, we need to prepare our organization and workforce to meet the challenges ahead. With these changes, our leadership team will gain more experience and growth.”
Toyota has been part of North America’s cultural fabric for nearly 70 years. It employs nearly 64,000 people in the region who have contributed significantly to vehicle design, engineering, and assembly. The company’s plant in North Carolina is set to begin manufacturing automotive batteries for electrified vehicles in spring 2025.
For further information about Toyota’s operations or offerings, visit their official newsroom website.
