James J Malvaso

James J Malvaso plans to retire on 1 April as president and chief executive officer of Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA), with Brett Wood slated to succeed him.

The North American organisation is comprised of Toyota Material Handling USA Inc of Irvine, California; Raymond Corp of Greene, New York; and Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Inc in Columbus.

"Jim has been a tremendous leader for the Raymond Corporation, TMHNA and the entire materials handling industry," says Kazue Sasaki, president of Toyota Material Handling Group, part of Toyota Industries Corp's materials handling division. "His leadership capabilities, coupled with his strategic vision, have significantly contributed to the organisation's success and market-leading position. Following his formal retirement, I look forward to his continued counsel and support in the capacity of a Toyota Material Handling Group senior advisor."

In 2010, Malvaso was appointed TMHNA president and CEO and managing officer of Toyota Industries Corp. He headed Raymond from 1997-2010 and served as the 2004-2007 president of the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) of Washington, DC.

Wood serves now as TMHNA executive vice president and chairman of the operation in Irvine.

Wood has led several strategic TMHNA assignments in sales, marketing and operations. "Brett's extensive experience in the material handling industry and knowledge of both the Toyota and Raymond companies have prepared him to be highly successful in his new role," says Malvaso. "I look forward to working with Brett over the next several months to ensure a continued commitment to the established TMHNA strategy and a seamless leadership transition."

With the Irvine organisation, Wood was president and, earlier, vice president of marketing, dealer development, product, strategic planning and training operations. He is a member of the ITA executive committee and board of directors and has served as chairman of the ITA general engineering committee.