Longtime Toyota Motor North America executive Bill Fay will retire Sept. 1, causing a chain reaction of executive appointments across the automaker’s North American operations, Toyota said Monday.
Fay, 64, who most recently has been senior vice president for automotive operations at Toyota Motor North America, has been with the automaker for 38 years in a variety of executive positions. In 2017, just prior to taking his current role, Fay was general manager of the automaker’s Toyota Division.
Jack Hollis, 53, who succeeded Fay as general manager of Toyota Division three years ago, will once again succeed Fay to become senior vice president of automotive operations, effective Aug. 31, Toyota said in a news release. He will report to Bob Carter, executive vice president of sales at Toyota Motor North America.
David Christ, 49, who currently heads Lexus, will succeed Hollis as group vice president and general manager, Toyota Division, where he will be responsible for leading the mass-market brand’s sales, marketing and market representation, guest experience and retention for Toyota’s regional sales offices and distributors. Christ will report to Hollis, Toyota said.
Replacing Christ at Lexus will be Andrew Gilleland, 51, the current vice president of sales operations with Toyota. He will be responsible for Lexus’ U.S. automotive operations, including sales, marketing, customer service and dealer operations, and will report to Hollis.
In his most recent role, Fay helped lead the development of Toyota’s SmartPath dealer software that helps its dealers sell vehicles online. Rolled out to Toyota dealers last fall, SmartPath has helped some dealers transition more quickly to online sales as the COVID-19 pandemic struck this spring.
Carter praised Fay for his decades of contributions.
“For nearly four decades, Bill has been an integral part of our automotive operations and helped propel both the Toyota and Lexus nameplates to world-class brands that are admired for their safety and quality,” Carter said in a statement. “We thank Bill for his leadership and countless contributions to our organization. Jack’s strong track record, deep understanding of our dealer network and passion for customers will be a great asset to both brands.”
