Al Smith Named Toyota's New Social Innovation Group Vice President

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Apr 10, 2017, 16:30 ET

PLANO, Texas, April 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Albert (Al) Smith, Jr. has been named group vice president, Social Innovation for Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). He is responsible for Toyota's diversity and inclusion, shared impact, and environmental sustainability functions across North America.

Albert (Al) Smith, Jr. has been named group vice president, Social Innovation for Toyota Motor North America (TMNA).

"I'm thrilled Al has joined Toyota's Social Innovation team, bringing with him a deep understanding of the principles and behaviors that underlie the Toyota Way, including respect for people," said Chris Reynolds, executive vice president, corporate resources and chief diversity officer, TMNA. "Al's experience in financial services, sales, operations, and customer service lay the foundation we need in Social Innovation to better serve our stakeholders – from team members, dealers, investors, local communities and customers."

Smith has previously served as group vice president, Service Operations and Corporate Planning for Toyota Financial Services (TFS) and Lexus Financial Services (LFS). Since beginning his career at Toyota in 1990, he has held various leadership positions including TFS eBusiness champion, Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) corporate manger, Office of the Web, corporate manager of Sales Strategy and Fleet department.

"Social innovation and diversity is a vital part of Toyota's promise to give back to the communities in which we operate and respect all people," said Smith. "I am honored to take on this role, and look forward to leading key Social Innovation programs, such as in STEAM-focused education, Buckle up for Life, and TeenDrive365."

Smith serves as executive advisor of Toyota's African American Collaborative, chaired the Boy Scouts of America's Thunderbird District, and served as a sponsor board member of FFA Foundation. Smith received a Bachelor degree in business administration and computer science from California State University in Long Beach.

About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to advancing mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we've produced more than 33 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 46,000 people (more than 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.45 million in the U.S.) in 2016 – and about 85 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.

Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to assist more people move more places. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.