Toyota Financial Services South Africa (TFSSA) announced on Wednesday afternoon that it has tapped Thabo Manaka as its new CEO. The company said his appointment is effective from 01 January 2021.
Manaka is succeeding Marius Burger who is retiring at the end of the year, after 7 years at the helm.
Currently the director and Senior vice president of Corporate Administration at TFSSA, Manaka has risen through the ranks after joining the financial services company in 2007.
His career spans both the public and private sector, having accumulated a wealth of knowledge in areas such as Compliance, Information Technology, Legal, Risk Management, Corporate Governance and Human Resources.
“Toyota South Africa Motors can rely on Thabo and his continued support at TFSSA. Thabo has demonstrated his range of management skills, along with experience and curiosity that could not be more relevant to transform TFS into a mobility-savvy organisation in the years ahead. It is only with teamwork that the challenging TFSSA goals can be achieved,” Andrew Kirby, CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors (also Chairman of TFSSA) says.
“As a business that forms part of the Toyota Group, the principles of ‘The Toyota Way’ and ‘Kaizen’ will continue to shine through in everything that we do together. This will drive us to our vision to become the most admired motor manufacturer (sales) Group in South Africa.”
The appointment of Manaka comes at a time when the company is positioning itself as a leading financial and mobility-solutions provider with the executive team playing a pivotal role in the process.
Manaka says: “I thank the Board and the Shareholders for the confidence they have in me to lead Toyota Financial Services. 2020 has been challenging so far with difficulties attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting all people, not only locally, but the entire globe. At TFFSA, we recognise the importance of adapting to these changing times. As the world evolves, so will the financial and mobility solutions, and we can assure you that we are ready to put the smiles back on our customers’ faces.”
