Subaru of America announced Friday morning that CEO Thomas Doll will step down from his role in day-to-day management of the company and will be replaced by Tadashi “Tady” Yoshida, who will serve as chairman of the board and CEO.
In addition, Jeffrey Walters, currently the senior vice president of sales, will be promoted to president and chief operating officer.
The moves are effective April 1.
Doll, who has worked at Subaru for four decades, will assume the role of corporate adviser. Both Doll and Yoshida will be based at the company’s Camden headquarters.
Tomomi Nakamura, CEO of Subaru Corp., saluted Doll for his work at the company.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the contributions Tom has made over the past 40 years,” he said. “I fondly remember the days we spent working together at Subaru of America from 2014 to 2017.
“He is truly a great contributor. I am deeply grateful for his longtime dedication that has made Subaru what we are today. His commitment and friendship have helped to grow Subaru of America into a very strong position in the U.S. market and has created a strong and valued brand. But his leadership and the creation of the Love Promise initiative have truly elevated Subaru to be more than a car company.”
Yoshida is being elevated from his current position of executive vice president. A 34-year veteran of the company, he has been with Subaru of America for two years.
He previously held executive positions within Subaru in overseas sales and marketing, global marketing and the customer service division.
Walters has more than 30 years of experience with Subaru of America.
Under Doll’s leadership, Subaru of America experienced unprecedented growth. Since being named chief operating officer in 2009, and subsequently president in 2013 and CEO in 2018, he led Subaru of America to 12 consecutive years of sales records, from 2008 to 2019, when the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic shut down production.
Doll said he was grateful for his experience with the company.
“The Subaru brand and Subaru of America hold a special place in my heart,” he said. “Since the day I arrived here 41 years ago, we have worked tirelessly to make Subaru more than a car company. The growth of this company has been nothing if not spectacular, but I am most proud of the good we have done with our Love Promise programs and the lives we have impacted. It is the employees of Subaru of America, the great friendships we have developed and our amazing customers and retailers who are the secret of our success.”
Doll said he is confident Subaru of America is on the right track.
“We are headed into an exciting new time of growth for the industry, and I know we have an incredibly strong team in place to guide Subaru of America forward,” he said.
