Hiroshi Okuda (奥田 碩 Okuda Hiroshi; born 29 December 1932) is a Japanese businessman who served as president of the Toyota Motor Corporation from 1995 to 1999 and as its chairman from 1999 to 2006.
Overview
Hiroshi Okuda was born in Mie Prefecture on 29 December 1932. He graduated from Hitotsubashi University in 1955 and began working for Toyota.[1]
He became president of Toyota in 1995 after having worked at the corporation for 40 years. In 1998, Okuda was selected as a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Strategy Council.[2] Okuda stepped down as president and became chairman of the board in 1998.[3] That same year he became chairman of the Japan Federation of Employers' Associations.[4] He also held the position of chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association from 2000 to 2002.[5] He stepped down as chairman in 2006.[2]
Okuda is credited with seeing the need for hybrid cars early and pushing Toyota towards quickly bringing them to market.[6]
References
- Brian Bremmer. Toyota's Crusade Business Week, 7 April 1997, retrieved 29 December 2010^
- Robert Schroeder. Toyota chairman steps down: Cho takes over post vacated by retiring Okuda MarketWatch, 24 June 2006, retrieved 28 December 2010^
- Jim Fredrick. Hiroshi Okuda / Fujio Cho