Morris retires from Toyota NZ
Spencer Morris is retiring from his role as general manager of after-sales at Toyota NZ on January 1 after a 37-year career of driving change and leading transformative projects.
For the past 15 years, he has been part of the executive team as general manager of used vehicles, followed by roles in customer service, finance and business planning as well as being company secretary.
Morris has seen the industry transition over 45 years from a market-protected assembly environment through to today’s deregulated new and used-imports era.
“There has been a great deal of change over my time in the New Zealand motor industry,” he says.
“Being part of a Toyota team that has constantly adapted, always with the mindset of what is right for the customer, is something I’m proud of.
“The industry is faced with some daunting and exciting challenges over the coming years, and I am confident the team I leave behind is well-equipped to tackle and triumph over these.”
Morris, pictured, began his automotive career with General Motors in 1976, initially as a trainee engineer and ultimately a qualified product engineer.
His jump to Toyota in the mid-1980s was well-timed as the Japanese company asserted itself to become this country’s dominant marque by the end of that decade.
During his 37 years with Toyota NZ, he has distinguished himself in various roles, initially as a product engineer before rising to engineering manager.
Subsequent assignments included management in corporate planning, business planning, new-vehicle sales, product planning and service.
Under his leadership, Toyota’s customer dialogue centre won the National Supreme Diamond Award for customer service at the 2017 CRM Awards.
Neeraj Lala, chief executive of Toyota NZ, says Morris had been hugely instrumental in championing new technology and had been an early proponent of hybrid engines well before they became popular.
“Spencer has always been a key contributor to Toyota’s core principle of continuous improvement. He is pragmatic and persistent. He just gets the right stuff done.”
