TSAM president and CEO Dr Johan van Zyl
Photo by: Duane Daws
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) president and CEO Dr Johan van Zyl will, from April 1, also take responsibility for Toyota Europe.
In addition to his roles as TSAM president and CEO and CEO of Toyota Africa region, he would now also become president and CEO of Toyota Motors Europe.
Didier Leroy, who was the current head of Toyota's Europe business, had been appointed executive VP of Toyota Motor Corporation – the global company's first-ever non-Japanese executive VP.
The new role would see Van Zyl lead the Toyota brand in both the Africa and Europe regions, with a focus on continuous improvement of production, supply and sales.
He would be based in Sandton and Brussels.
“This is a fantastic career opportunity and I am very excited about this new challenge. However, I want to reiterate that my home will always be South Africa and I remain committed to the development of the industry in this country.
“The European market is a very competitive market and can, at best, be described as a recovering market, [having achieved higher] automobile sales for the first time in six years during 2014. Having said that, it is a dynamic market with a strong automotive industry,” Van Zyl commented.