Christoff takes over helm at Toyota de Puerto Rico
George Christoff
Toyota de Puerto Rico Corp. kicked off 2014 with a new president. With more than 30 years of industry experience, 25 of them within Toyota, George Christoff will direct the operations and performance of the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands in Puerto Rico, as well as the duties performed by Toyota Foundation and Lexus with the Arts, the company announced Thursday.
Christoff steps in for Mario Dávila, who was president of the automaker’s local operations during the past 11 years. The change of command is part of the top management alignment cycle the company routinely carries out around the globe. Dávila has relocated to Toyota Motor Sales, USA to direct corporate marketing overseeing Hispanic and multicultural markets for Toyota, Lexus and Scion.
“I am honored to have been assigned this position. Mario Dávila and his team have done a phenomenal job positioning Toyota as a leading company, with products and services that are the industry gold standard,” said Christoff.
“My objectives are to observe, learn and absorb so as to strengthen that legacy, continue to grow all business areas, and foster relationships with the customers, dealers, and the community,” he said.
The new president is familiar with the idiosyncrasies and challenges of the Puerto Rican market, given that he supervised island activities in his previous post as vice president of distribution operations at Toyota Motor Sales.
“The current economic climate is not a set of barriers, but opportunities. It drives us to continue to innovate and support the social and economic development of the Island through our activities and relationships with Puerto Ricans,” he said. “Our business goes beyond selling cars; it is based on establishing lasting relationships with our audiences that withstand the times.”
Since joining Toyota in 1989 Christoff has held several positions within the company, including: vice president and general manager of the Cincinnati Region, business and distribution manager for Lexus in the Southern Region, Lexus corporate sales manager and distribution, operations, sales and production analysis manager at Toyota Motor Sales.
Having grown up in a family of auto dealership owners, Christoff is known in the industry “for his managerial style, which emphasizes teamwork and organic growth for both the company as well as its human resource,” the company said.
