“I think that element allowed me to look at very difficult situations with a much lighter view, like an opportunity,” he stated. “I’ve seen this before, I’ve been in a much worse situation than here, so why do I worry?”
As of late Tien, president of Toyota Motor Asia Pacific, is one of the automaker’s maximum senior international executives, however he were given his get started operating for the railway. Nearest graduating from the College of Waterloo in Ontario with a bachelor of technologies, in 1990 Tien was supervisor of intermodal services and products for the Canadian Pacific Railway, now referred to as CPKC.
His year at CP Rail sparked his hobby in automobile, as cars had been some of the key merchandise his intermodal services and products helped send. Toyota was once considered one of his shoppers. 9 years then, Tien joined Toyota Canada Inc. as director and eminent knowledge officer.
“Working with them through the years, I started to like the Toyota culture,” he advised Car Information Canada from Singapore. “So when the opportunity came in 1999, I actually joined the company. So it’s not really about automotive; it’s Toyota that attracted me.”
Nearest 11 years at Toyota, Tien was once appointed common supervisor of Toyota Motor Corp. in Japan, later vice-president of Lexus China and later senior vice-president of gross sales and advertising and marketing for Toyota Motor Asia Pacific. From his bottom in Singapore, he labored his manner as much as COO of gross sales and advertising and marketing sooner than transferring into diverse top-level positions in Malaysia, Republic of India, Indonesia and Thailand, after all turning back Singapore in his wave position.
EYE-OPENING
Changing into an trade insider, Tien stated, opened his visuals to the gigantic scope of the automobile industry, from mining to production to monetary services and products, advertising and marketing and guaranty paintings. He credit his insatiable interest for uplifting his occupation enlargement.
“I like to learn different things about the industry, so that encouraged me to move from job to job,” he stated. “I believe that curiosity and desire to learn really fit into Toyota’s job rotation culture.”
Tien stated he by no means had visuals at the company suite in Singapore.
“I never thought that way. I always take every opportunity one day at a time and one opportunity at a time.”
Tien’s position in Asia is hugely other from the ones of his opposite numbers in Canada or america, the place corporate presidents trade in with rules and marketplace statuses inside of their borders. Tien do business in with 17 nations, stretching from Republic of India to the Philippines.
He credit his Canadian upbringing for his talent to navigate other cultures.
“As an immigrant, as an Asian Canadian, I feel comfortable in different cultures, in moving around,” Tien stated. “I believe that as a Canadian, we were trained to be sensitive to cultural diversity. … I have to say thank you to the Canadian government and our people in Canada that we are nurturing a very tolerant society.”
