“Don’t try to survive the storm… learn to dance in the rain.” This week in Athens, I had the privilege of joining our long-standing distribution partner Inchcape for a fireside chat with their global leadership team. In today’s fast-changing world - where electrification, regulation, and global geopolitical dynamics are reshaping our industry - our 58-year partnership with Inchcape is more valuable than ever. Time and again, through major business transitions, we’ve been able to rely on this relationship built on mutual trust, long-term vision, and a shared commitment to put the customer first. This ‘Customer First’ mindset is at the heart of Toyota’s multi-pathway strategy. We invest in a range of technologies and empower our partners to adapt locally - because meeting the needs of our customers means being agile and acting with purpose and speed. This is what “dancing in the rain” looks like: not resisting change, but embracing it together. The theme of their leadership conference was Transforming Tomorrow Together. The pace of change around us is faster than ever but will probably never be this slow again, so with partners like Inchcape, we’re putting ESG at the heart of our business strategy and embracing DE&I as a source of our innovation and an enabler for our business transformation. It was also a pleasant surprise to reconnect with former colleagues from Toyota Motor Europe and Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan - Spiros Fotinos, Artur Materna, and Takeshi Isogaya who is now serving as Special Advisor to Inchcape.
it was great pleasure to meet you Matt 😁 Truly inspiring messages – embracing change with purpose and collaboration is the way forward. The strength of long-term partnerships like Toyota and Inchcape sets a great example of resilience and innovation in action. Thank you for sharing your reflections with us.
Matt - it was an absolute pleasure to fireside chat with you. Follow the customer is on my list of headlines from the event. You were a highlight! 🙌
Thanks for sharing hope you’re well!
“Don’t try to survive the storm… learn to dance in the rain.” Line of the year right there Matt. Thank you for giving me the opening comments for my Culture Workshop session at Edinburgh East in the coming weeks as we move to our new home!
A fantastic conversation for all in the room - thank you Matt for joining us 🙏🏼
Thankyou for making the trip, your perspectives and insights valued by all at the conference.
Spiros ;) !!!
Well said!
President & Managing Director of Inchcape Hellas, official Distributor of Toyota & Lexus and GAC Aion automotive brands
4moThank you Matt for returning to Athens for our Leadership meeting!