Brett Wood appointed to senior executive officer of Toyota Industries Corp.

COLUMBUS, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – Columbus-based Toyota Material Handling North America has appointed Brett Wood to senior executive officer of its parent company, Toyota Industries Corp. The company says Wood is now the only non-Japanese TICO executive.

Wood, who is currently TMHNA’s president and chief executive officer, will maintain his current responsibilities in addition to his new role as an officer of TICO. Wood oversees two main group companies: Toyota Material Handling in Columbus and The Raymond Corp. in New York.

“Brett’s appointment as a TICO executive properly reflects the significant contribution he has made to our company’s material handling equipment business,” said Toyota Industries Corp. Chairman Ted Toyoda. “I look forward to Brett’s continued contribution to the global TICO Group in this new role.”

He is a 31-year veteran of the company. Wood began his material handling career at Toyota in 1989 as an entry-level engineer and has held several leadership positions within the company since then.

“This isn’t just about me – it’s a reflection on the great team we have at TMHNA, the success that we’ve had in the past, and the vision and focus we have for the future. I look forward to helping continue TICO’s collective growth and success and hopefully offer a different perspective to TICO’s strategic vision,” said Wood.

Toyota says Wood’s appointment to TICO Senior Executive Officer makes him the 12th highest-ranking executive in the global company.

“I look forward to working with the other TICO divisions to identify potential synergies from the other business groups and to expand my viewpoint beyond just the material handling world,” Wood said. “I would like to learn what makes these other companies successful and see if there are any best practices that I could bring back to our North American team.”