Shoichiro Toyoda(豊田 章一郞,Toyoda Shōichirō, born February 17, 1925) is a Japanese business leader, serving as chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation between 1992–1999 and also serving as chairman of the powerful Japan Business Federation(日本経済団体連合会,Nippon Keidanren), beginning in May 1994 through May 1998.
The descendants of Sakichi Toyoda who established Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, have long dominated the upper management of Toyota Motors, which was incorporated in 1937. Shoichiro Toyoda was born in Nagoya on February 17, 1925, the son of Kiichiro Toyoda, who would become the president of Toyota between 1941 and 1950; and in due course, Shoichiro Toyoda became president of the company between 1982 and 1992. His son, Akio Toyoda, was appointed company president after Katsuaki Watanabe relinquished that post to become Chairman.
Career
Toyoda joined Toyota Motors in 1952. He attended the Tokyo First Middle School (Hibiya High School), First High School （Tokyo University）, and graduated from Nagoya Imperial University (Nagoya University) in 1947 with a degree in engineering. In ten years, he had risen to the position of managing director; and he was promoted to senior managing director in 1967, to executive vice president in 1972, and president of the Company's marketing organization in 1981.
The merger of the sales and production organizations in 1982 produced Toyota Motor Corporation. Toyoda became the new entity's first president. The disparate nature of the two distinct corporate cultures required his attention, and the extent to which the "oil and water" of these two Toyota groups were merged successfully was attributed in large part to his leadership. He served as chairman from 1992 to 1999; and he became honorary chairman in 1999.
