Toyota Motor North America Announces Organizational Changes and Promotions

NEW YORK, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Toshiaki ``Tag'' Taguchi, president and CEO of Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMA) today announced organizational changes and promotions designed to further strengthen the company.

Douglas M. West, formerly senior vice president and chief administrative officer for Toyota Motor Sales USA (TMS) in Torrance, California, will move to Washington, D.C., as senior vice president of government affairs for TMA. He will succeed Gil Bamford, who will retire. West will report to Jim Olson, TMA senior vice president of external and regulatory affairs. West also will continue as an officer and Corporate Secretary of TMA. In this role he will report to Taguchi.

Veronica Pollard, formerly vice president of external affairs for TMA, will be promoted to group vice president of corporate communications for TMA. In this function, which oversees investor relations, corporate advertising, corporate media relations, philanthropy and community relations, and direct mail/internet initiatives, she will continue to report to Olson.

Pollard also will become group vice president, diversity programs, for TMA, which will involve working with an outside diversity advisory board serving all of Toyota's U.S. companies. In this function, Pollard will report directly to Taguchi.

These changes will take effect April 1, 2002, the beginning of TMA's fiscal year.

``As Toyota's North American presence grows, we must continue to strengthen our capability to contribute to American society and industry-related activities,'' said Taguchi. ``Doug West will bring his broad experience to Washington to build on the foundation put in place by Gil Bamford, who has raised the professionalism and competence of our Washington staff to a new level during the four years he has been there. In her expanded role, Veronica Pollard will increase her contribution to Toyota's North American success in newly expanded functions.''

Doug West joined Toyota in 1982 as an Associate General Counsel in the TMS Legal Department. Prior to joining Toyota, he was a Senior Attorney for Product Litigation at Ford Motor Company. While at TMS, he has held numerous management positions including: Vice President and General Counsel -- Product Law, Group Vice President -- Export and Logistics Operations, and Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. West received a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and a JD degree from the Detroit College of Law. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Claremont Graduate University and the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Urban League. He also chairs the Board of the Urban League's Los Angeles Automotive Training Center.

Veronica Pollard joined Toyota in November 1998 from ABC, Inc where she was Vice President -- Corporate Public Relations. She is a director of Granite Broadcasting Corporation and a member of the Individual Investor Advisory Committee to the Board of the New York Stock Exchange. She also is a trustee of New York City's Museum for African Art. Pollard attended the University of Wisconsin, received a bachelor's degree from Boston University and a master's degree from Columbia University's Teachers College.

Gil Bamford joined Toyota in 1982. Prior to joining Toyota he held several management positions at Ford Motor Company in the areas of strategic planning, sales and marketing. Gil has headed the Washington Office since 1997. Prior to that he served as Vice President of Strategic Planning at TMS. He received a bachelor's degree from Harvard and an MBA from the University of Michigan.