Didier Leroy is a distinguished French automotive executive with more than four decades of experience in the automotive industry. He has served as Chairman of Toyota Motor Europe, where he has played an important role in Toyota’s European operations, manufacturing strategy, business development and long-term growth.
Born in December 1957, Didier Leroy earned an engineering degree from the École Supérieure des Sciences et Technologies de l’Ingénieur de Nancy and later completed a management programme at CEDEP/INSEAD. He began his automotive career with Renault in 1982, holding a series of senior manufacturing positions across the company’s production facilities.
In 1998, Didier Leroy joined Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF) as Vice President of Manufacturing. He was closely involved in establishing Toyota’s French manufacturing operations and the development of the Valenciennes plant, which began production in 2001. He subsequently became President of TMMF in 2005, leading the plant through a period of significant expansion and operational development.
His responsibilities expanded across Europe when he became Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Europe in 2007. He later took responsibility for sales, marketing and after-sales before becoming President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe in 2010. In this role, he oversaw a broad range of European activities spanning manufacturing, research and development, purchasing, sales and marketing.
In 2015, Didier Leroy became Chairman of Toyota Motor Europe and also became the first non-Japanese Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Corporation. He subsequently took on global responsibilities covering Toyota’s operations outside Japan and was appointed Chief Competitive Officer, focusing on strengthening the company’s competitiveness worldwide.
In 2020, Didier Leroy stepped away from his operational responsibilities at Toyota Motor Corporation while continuing as Chairman of Toyota Motor Europe and serving as an advisor to Akio Toyoda. His long association with Toyota reflects a career spanning manufacturing, European operations, commercial strategy and global automotive leadership.
With extensive experience across Renault and Toyota, Didier Leroy is recognised for his expertise in automotive manufacturing, operational excellence, European automotive strategy, sales and marketing, business transformation and global competitiveness. His career has made him an influential figure in the development of Toyota’s European automotive presence and the wider global automotive industry.
