PEOPLE WATCH
Executive changes for Toyota Motor Europe
On 4 December 2025, Toyota Motor Europe( TME) announced several executive-level appointments at its European Headquarters, National Sales & Marketing Companies and European Manufacturing Companies.
“ These changes aim to continue our company’ s transformation and navigate the changes required to become a mobility company, built upon the principles of carbon neutrality and sustainability,” it explained.
Toyota Motor Europe NV / SA( TME) oversees the wholesale sales and marketing of Toyota, GR( Gazoo Racing) and Lexus vehicles and parts and accessories, as well as Toyota’ s European manufacturing and engineering operations.
Toyota Motor Europe( TME)
Leonardo Carluccio was appointed Vice-
President of Sales Strategy & Performance. Thierry Boitel was appointed Vice President of R & D4 TME, replacing Gerald Killmann( who is retiring). Both appointments are effective from 1 January 2026.
National Marketing and Sales Companies
Toyota Spain( TES): Francisco Berrocal was appointed as President & CEO of Toyota Spain( TES) from 1 January 2026, taking over from Miguel Carsi who will take up a senior role in The Hydrogen Factory, TME, Brussels.
European Manufacturing Companies( EMCs)
Murat Bülbül( TMMT) was appointed as President & CEO of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey from 1 January 2026, taking over from Erdogan Sahin( who is retiring).
TME in focus
Toyota directly employs over 26,000 people across Europe and has invested over 12 billion euros into Europe since 1990. Its eight European manufacturing plants are in Portugal, the UK, France, Poland, Czech Republic and Turkey.
Today, there are approximately 14.7 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles on European roads, whose drivers are supported by a network of 28 National Marketing and Sales Companies and around 2,800 retail sales outlets in 53 countries( EU, UK, EFTA countries, Israel, Turkey and other Eastern European countries).
In 2024, TME reportedly sold 1,217,132 vehicles in Europe for a 7.1 % market share. n
www
. toyota-europe. com
Dilworth awarded MBE in NY Honours
Alain Dilworth, one of the original architects of the UK’ s‘ Made Smarter’ adoption programme, has been awarded an MBE for services to business growth and digitalisation in the King’ s New Year Honours List.
Dilworth has played a pivotal role in shaping and delivering‘ Made Smarter’ since its inception in 2018, working closely with UK government and industry to design a national programme that helps manufacturing SMEs to adopt digital technologies, strengthen
Alain Dilworth. leadership capability and improve productivity.
As programme manager for the North West adoption programme in the UK, delivered by The Growth Company, he oversaw the launch of the £ 20-million, three-year pilot initiative that established the blueprint for national rollout. He has since worked with the UK Department for Business and Trade to develop the adoption model now delivered in all English regions.
In the North West, Made Smarter has engaged with over 2,300 manufacturers, supporting over 400 technology projects that are forecast to create almost 2,000 new jobs, upskill nearly 3,500 roles and add £ 287- million to the regional economy.
After a 25-year career in manufacturing, Dilworth moved into economic development with the North West Development Agency before joining The Growth Company, where he has delivered various regional and national government-funded programmes. n
www
. madesmarter. uk
Management moves at Bosch Rexroth
Dr. Jochen Peter( 50) joined the Management Board of Bosch Rexroth AG in Germany on 1 January 2026. After an induction phase, he will become Chief Executive Officer on 1 March 2026. He succeeds Dr. Steffen Haack( 59), who will step back from the CEO position but will remain a member of the Management Board. Haack will retain responsibility for engineering and will concentrate on identifying new strategic growth areas for Bosch Rexroth in the future.
Dr. Peter studied mechanical and process engineering at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern and industrial engineering at the University of Hagen. He started his professional career in 2000 as a development engineer at BMW while completing his doctorate degree at the Fraunhofer Institute and then worked for the Boston Consulting Group, including in the USA. In 2011, he moved to the Zeiss Group and held various management positions before becoming a member of the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG in 2017. There, he was responsible for the Industrial Quality and Research division until the end of September 2025.
“ In his previous position, Jochen Peter has shown that he can tap into new market potential even in difficult environments,
Dr. Jochen Peter. Dr. Steffen Haack. develop software business and successfully drive transformation in a company,” said Dr. Tanja Rückert, Member of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH and chairwoman of the supervisory board of Bosch Rexroth AG.
Bosch Rexroth AG is one of the world’ s leading suppliers of drive and control technologies. n
www. boschrexroth. de
ISMR February 2026 | ismr. net | 9