Fujio Cho
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Tokyo, he graduated from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Law and joined Toyota Motor Co. in April 1960. After stints in the property management section and the production control department, he became Executive Vice President of the Kentucky plant in the United States (TMM) in July 1987, and served as its President from December 1988 to October 1994. The plant hired its entire workforce from people with no experience in auto manufacturing and was launched on the absolute condition of matching the quality of Japanese-made vehicles. In the early days of the venture, information did not reach the local community well enough, leaving fertile ground for resentment toward Toyota.
Selection
In June 1999, as Hiroshi Okuda moved up to Chairman, he was promoted from Executive Vice President to President, just one year after becoming Executive Vice President in June 1998. Following Okuda, he was another president from outside the founding family, making it two consecutive leaders who were not Toyodas. In the fiscal year ended March 1999, the year before he took office, consolidated net sales were ¥12,749.0 billion and net income was ¥356.1 billion. The appointment handed the expansion course broadened under Okuda to a production man who had launched Toyota's first wholly owned North American manufacturing on the ground.
Initiatives
He pushed the expansion of the China business and the codification of the "Toyota Way," which put the company's way of working into writing. In July 2000 he established the financial holding company Toyota Financial Services, and in April 2001 he transferred the industrial vehicle and logistics systems business to Toyota Industries, tidying up the outline of the business. In August 2001, after a 35-year alliance, Hino Motors was made a subsidiary. In August 2002 Toyota reached a basic agreement with China FAW Group, and in September 2004 it established GAC Toyota Motor as a joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group, putting its entry into China into full swing.
Career
Career
Toyota Motor
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1960 | Joined |
| Sep 1988 | Director |
| Sep 1994 | Managing Director |
| Jun 1996 | Senior Managing Director |
| Jun 1998 | Executive Vice President |
| Jun 1999 | President |
| Jun 2005 | Director, Vice Chairman |
| Jun 2005 | Stepped down as President |
| Jun 2006 | Chairman |
Toyota Motor Manyufakucharingu U.S.A.
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jul 1987 | 取締役執行副社長就任 (translation pending) |
| Dec 1988 | President |
| Oct 1994 | Stepped down as President |
Toyota Kuragaike Development
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jun 2009 | President |