HE BEST EXECUTIVES DON’T JUST ZIG WHEN everyone else zags, they know exactly the right time to zig. That’s how the winner of ’s Auto Disruptor Executive of the Year Akio Toyoda earned this honor. During his 13-year tenure as Toyota Motor Corporation’s president, Toyoda didn’t always go with the auto-industry flow, instead plotting a separate course for the company that his grandfather founded—one that has enabled Toyota, in a fast-changing, challenging business environment, to retain its spot as one of the world’s largest automakers.
