Toyota Elevates CFO to CEO as Profitability Takes Center Stage
Toyota names CFO Kenta Kon as its new CEO starting April 1, with Koji Sato moving to vice chairman and a newly created Chief Industry Officer role. Kon’s finance-focused leadership comes as the automaker pushes services and partnerships to boost margins amid tariff headwinds and competition, while Sato focuses on manufacturing efficiency and cross-industry collaboration. Toyota recently sold 3% more vehicles globally but posted a 1.9% year-over-year drop in operating profit; it projects about $23.3 billion in operating profit for the fiscal year, a roughly 21% decline from the prior year.
