AIB 2011 Nagoya Conference Program - Academy of International ...

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AIB FELLOWS’ 2011 ExECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Opening Plenary, June 25, 16:30-19:00, Large Hall (2 nd Floor)
Mr. Fujio Cho
Mr. Fujio Cho is the Chairman of the Toyota Motor Corporation and the recipient of the 2011 AIB Fellows
International Executive of the Year Award, which recognizes a business leader who has significantly
improved the stature and role of international business at home and abroad. The award this year
honours both the global industry leadership of the Toyota Motor Corporation, which has transformed the
motor vehicle industry around the world through the Toyota Production System of lean production and
continuous improvement, and Mr. Cho’s leadership in the expansion of Toyota’s production facilities in
the United States and in the introduction of the world’s first commercially successful hybrid vehicle, the
Toyota Prius.
Mr. Cho joined Toyota in 1960, after graduating from the prestigious Faculty of Law at the University of
Tokyo. He spent his early years at Toyota in production, under the supervision and tutelage of Mr. Taiichi
Ohno, the architect of the now world-famous Toyota Production System. He rose through the ranks of the
Production Control Division until in 1987 he was chosen to play a role in setting up Toyota’s first whollyowned
production facility in North America. In 1988, when that facility opened in Kentucky, he served its
president from 1988-1994. His role in Toyota’s becoming a respected local corporate citizen was honoured
with an honorary doctorate in engineering from the University of Kentucky in 2002.
After his return to Japan in 1994 he served as a managing director, senior managing director, executive
vice president, and in 1999 he became the President of the Toyota Motor Corporation. During these years
he was a strong advocate for the development of the hybrid car. In 1997, the world’s first mass-produced
hybrid car, the Prius, was introduced in Japan, and in 2001 was rolled out worldwide. In 2006, Mr. Cho
became the Chairman of the Toyota Motor Corporation.
22 Academy of International Business 2011 Annual Conference Nagoya, Japan June 24/28, 2011