Chief Executive Koji Sato will step down after just three years at the helm of the world’s largest automaker, the company said on Friday, February 6, and will be replaced by chief financial officer Kenta Kon.
What do we know about Kon?
Kon joined Toyota Motor in 1991 after graduating from Tohoku University with a degree in economics and has since risen through the company’s accounting and finance ranks. He is a board member and operating officer, and became chief financial officer in July 2025.
In recent years, 57-year-old Kon has taken on an expanded role within Toyota’s push into wider mobility solutions and is a director at Woven by Toyota, the group’s software-focused technology unit.
He is also a director at Toyota Fudosan, the group’s real estate unit, which is leading the buyout of Toyota Industries (6201.T), an opening that activist shareholders have opposed.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Kon said the group had been careful to ensure that it did not prioritise anyone unfairly in the buyout deal.
