Chris Nielsen Executive Vice President, Supply Chain, Chief Quality Officer | Toyota Battery Manufacturing
Chris Nielsen Executive Vice President, Supply Chain, Chief Quality Officer | Toyota Battery Manufacturing
Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) has announced a restructuring of its leadership, effective April 1, 2025. The company is eliminating the chief strategy officer position and redistributing responsibilities among its leadership team to enhance experience and growth opportunities.
The strategic functions at Toyota will now 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 at TMNA. She will oversee OneTech, Privacy & Governance, Corporate Shared Services, and Human Resources. Cockrell will report to Ted Ogawa, president and CEO of TMNA.
Chris Yang will become senior vice president of Enterprise Strategy and Solutions (ES&S), reporting to Ogawa. Yang will guide strategy, new business development, and investments as Toyota transitions into a mobility company. He retains his roles as deputy chief compliance officer and deputy chief risk officer at Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), overseeing Global Compliance and Risk across seven regions. Yang will also transition to senior advisor at Toyota Connected North America (TCNA) but will no longer serve as its president and CEO.
Sandra Phillips remains in her role as senior vice president of Enterprise Integrity while Mike Sweers continues as executive vice president and chief technology officer for Research & Development. Both report directly to Ogawa.
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...our leadership team will gain more experience...to take better care of our customers now and in the future.”
Toyota has been part of North America's cultural fabric for nearly 70 years with over 64,000 employees contributing to the design, engineering, assembly of nearly 49 million vehicles at its manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota's plant in North Carolina will start manufacturing automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
For further details about Toyota's operations visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
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