Tokyo - Toyota Motor Corporation is poised to appoint its first non-Japanese vice-president on April 1 to diversify its management, a report said on Wednesday.
Didier Leroy, senior managing officer for the world's biggest carmaker, who also heads the European division, is considered a strong candidate given his success in reducing costs and boosting profitability in the European market, the Nikkei business daily reported without citing any sources.
Leroy joined Toyota in 1998, serving in a number of key roles, including president of a manufacturing unit in France. He became a managing officer in 2007 and he was promoted senior managing officer in 2012, the Nikkei said.
Of Toyota's 57 executives, only seven are non-Japanese.
A non-Japanese has never been appointed as one of its six vice-presidents, who can exert great decision-making power over the carmaker, the report said.
Sapa-dpa