Brett Wood, president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA), was recently appointed to senior executive officer of TMHNA’s parent company, Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO). Wood becomes the only non-Japanese TICO executive, company officials said.
Wood, a 31-year veteran of Toyota, will maintain his current responsibilities as TMHNA president and CEO in Columbus in addition to his new role as an officer of TICO.
“Brett’s appointment as a TICO executive properly reflects the significant contribution he has made to our company’s material handling equipment business,” said TICO Chairman Ted Toyoda.
Wood began his material handling career at Toyota in 1989 as an entry-level engineer and has held many leadership positions within the company in the three-plus decades since then. As president and CEO of TMHNA, Wood oversees two main group companies – Toyota Material Handling (TMH) in Columbus, and The Raymond Corp in Greene, New York. Toyota has been the top forklift brand in North America since 2002, and one out of every three forklifts sold in North America today is either a Toyota or Raymond Product.
Wood’s appointment to TICO senior executive officer makes him the 12th highest-ranking executive in the global company.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
