Francesco Mereu has been appointed a director of Toyota GB. He joins from the HR division of Toyota Motor Europe.

- What does your new role involve?

I am responsible for HR, facilities management and a significant part of purchasing, CSR, retailer training, after-sales and management development, corporate planning and development.

- What attracted you to the role?

As a manager with a background almost exclusively in HR, the management breadth of the role was a major selling point. It allows me to interact with all the functions in the company from both a business and HR perspective. As a member of the board of directors I integrate the HR aspect into our way of doing business right from the start of the planning and decision-making process.

- What skills and experience do you bring?

My background has given me a healthy balance between operational and strategic experience. Since joining Toyota I have had the opportunity to learn and contribute at a more strategic level at the European HQ in Brussels.

- What's the greatest challenge over the next year?

The most important challenge is to support the organisation from an HR and corporate planning point of view to increase competitiveness in a very difficult market. We need to improve our planning and decision-making processes but, more importantly, develop our employees.

- What do you do to unwind?

Spending time with my dog never ceases to amuse me and I love cooking, eating and drinking with friends. And I am passionate about music.