Toyota GB has appointed Richard Balshaw to succeed Berlinda Poole as the director of Lexus in the UK.

Poole will move to a position at Toyota Motor Europe’s head office in Brussels on April 1. Balshaw is currently Toyota’s UK sales director.

On July 1, John Thomson, director marketing Toyota, will take on a new assignment with Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan.

Jon Williams, Toyota GB managing director, said: “I thank Belinda, Richard and John for their significant contribution to guiding and reshaping the company through possibly the most challenging period of our history. I wish each of them every good fortune in their respective new roles.”

At the same time as these moves are happening, Toyota GB is making changes to its senior management structure, streamlining the sales and marketing area by removing the positions of director sales Toyota and director marketing.

A new position of general manager sales operations Toyota is being established which will sit alongside the existing positions of general manager vehicle marketing, general manager marketing communications, general manager network development and general manager fleet and remarketing. All of these roles will report directly to Matt Harrison, Toyota GB commercial director.

Williams said: “These changes are part of our ongoing efforts to develop a leaner and more efficient customer focused business.

“We are taking this opportunity to increase our speed of decision making and to improve the empowerment of the organisation.”