Toyota NZ's new COO

Toyota New Zealand has appointed Neeraj Lala to chief operating officer from his previous role of general manager new vehicles and product planning as of July 1. 2019,

In his new role, Lala will have overall responsibility for new and used vehicle sales, the parts and accessories business, service, logistics, franchise development, and product planning.

The chief executive officer and managing director, Alistair Davis says he was delighted to be announcing the appointment of Neeraj Lala to COO.

“Neeraj has made an excellent contribution to the success of Toyota New Zealand. He has driven key initiatives to support Toyota’s strategic objectives of being a leader in vehicle safety and the future of mobility.”

Lala has had a variety of senior management positions with Toyota New Zealand, which he joined as a commerce graduate from Victoria University in 1998.

“Over the past two decades I have had the privilege of amazing opportunities within this great company,” says Lala. “It has been an honour and I am looking forward to continuing to grow with Toyota as we seek new levels of excellence in everything we do.”

He has worked in most areas of the Toyota business including marketing, new vehicles, product planning, IT and used vehicles. In 2014, he completed an Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) with Distinction from Massey University.

Lala was seconded to the United States to undertake a three-year executive leadership programme with Toyota Motor Sales.

He returned to Toyota New Zealand’s Palmerston North headquarters in 2018 and was appointed to the board of Toyota New Zealand the same year as an executive director.