Koji Sato
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Tokyo, he graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in Waseda University's School of Science and Engineering in 1992 and joined Toyota Motor. He moved from chassis design into vehicle development, oversaw Lexus and GAZOO Racing, became a Senior General Manager in April 2017 and an Operating Officer in January 2020. He is the first engineer to become President from outside the Toyoda family, and his strength is being able to speak in the language of the development floor.
Selection
In April 2023 he succeeded Akio Toyoda as President and CEO, with Toyoda becoming Chairman. It was the end of 14 years of founding-family leadership, and a bold promotion that lifted him straight from operating officer to President. In the fiscal year ended March 2023, the year before he took office, net sales hit a record ¥37,154.2 billion, while operating income fell to ¥2,725.0 billion from ¥2,995.6 billion the year before. At a time when the company was being questioned over its slow start in EVs, the appointment put in place a development man who had handled the practical work of electrification.
Initiatives
Dealing with certification fraud across the group became his first task. In 2022, falsification of emissions and fuel economy test data came to light at subsidiary Hino Motors, and in December 2023 174 cases of certification fraud across 25 test items were found at Daihatsu Motor, halting shipments of 64 models. While seeking to prevent recurrence by separating the processes of development and certification and introducing third-party audits, he championed a multi-pathway strategy pursuing everything from hybrids to fuel cell vehicles in parallel, and in March 2025 began reviewing uniform wage increases.
Career
Career
Toyota Motor
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1992 | Joined |
| Apr 2017 | Managing Director |
| Jan 2020 | Executive Officer |
| Apr 2023 | President, CEO |
| Jun 2023 | Director and President |
| Apr 2026 | Representative Director, Vice Chairman, Chifu Industry Ofisa |
| Apr 2026 | Stepped down as President |
Toyota Motor Nosu America
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 2023 | Chairman and CEO |