• Jacques Brent joins Al-Futtaim Toyota & Lexus as Managing Director to lead multiple launches slated for 2023, reinforce the business’s market leadership, and steer it through ongoing transitions ranging from green mobility to digitalisation.
  • The senior appointment brings with him an illustrious career spanning almost three decades across global markets such as USA, China, South Africa and the UAE.

Dubai, UAE: Al-Futtaim Automotive has announced a new Managing Director for Toyota & Lexus UAE, Jacques Brent. He takes the helm of two of the UAE’s most popular and best-selling automotive brands, with a mission to propel the business forward across diverse verticals and achieve planned improvements in customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention across sales and after-sales, advance green mobility objectives, and develop future-proof solutions to create a seamless omnichannel experience that embodies Al-Futtaim Automotive’s customer-centric service offering.

Over a nearly 30-year stellar automotive career, Jacques has amassed diverse expertise, including senior level positions in marketing, finance, sales and business management in Ford, while also steering the pre-owned sector advancement of South Africa’s largest independent dealer group, Halfway; a stint which added to his diverse spectrum of experiences.

Prior to his move to South Africa, Jacques enjoyed a highly successful 24-year career with Ford, starting at Ford’s South Africa operation in 1995, and culminating in a role as Global Director, Product Marketing at Ford’s HQ in Dearborn, Michigan. In this role, he was responsible for alignment between Ford’s Marketing and Product Development activities, including improving the product planning process, representing the voice of the customer for all Ford and Lincoln products globally, and leading pricing strategy.

Brent’s first experience in Asia Pacific came with a move to Ford’s Shanghai office to take on the role of Executive Marking Director for the Asia Pacific and Africa region, following a successful term as Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service for Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa. Jacques then served as the President of Ford Middle East & Africa, where he led the company’s operations across 70 markets at the newly-launched business unit headquartered in Dubai.

During the latter part of his career, Jacques was deeply involved in Ford’s transition to electric vehicles, experience which will prove pivotal in supporting Al-Futtaim Automotive’s sustainable mobility strategy.

Commenting on the appointment, Jacques shared, “I am extremely excited to join Al-Futtaim Automotive, the UAE’s automotive market leader, in a time of global challenges and huge opportunity. As the industry moves into an era of unprecedented disruption, being able to work with Al-Futtaim Automotive to develop the highly regarded Toyota and Lexus brands, which are household names in the UAE, through this transition will be a highly rewarding experience. I look forward to meeting these challenges with the exceptional level of service excellence that customers have come to expect from Al-Futtaim.”

Also speaking on the future of mobility and aligning the business with the wider vision of the UAE on sustainability, Jacques said, “The speed at which the UAE’s National Smart Mobility and electrification objectives are progressing is truly impressive. This, together with vehicle connectivity, will be the largest disruption to the automotive industry in this decade. In the UAE, the government has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, and I look forward to guiding Toyota and Lexus in supporting the UAE leadership’s efforts towards green mobility and electrification for the years to come.”

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About Al-Futtaim Toyota

Toyota, a Japanese automotive manufacturer founded in 1937, is the world's market leader in sales of hybrid electric vehicles. Toyota has been exclusively distributed in the UAE by Al-Futtaim Automotive, part of Al-Futtaim Group, for over six decades, and has been leading the sustainable mobility movement since 2008.

With a large line-up of vehicles ranging from SUV, compact, sedan, coupe, MPV and LCV, as well as a wide range of Hybrid options, Al-Futtaim Toyota is setting new benchmarks for clean motoring in an effort to actively contribute to a lower carbon footprint in the UAE. 2017 saw the introduction of the zero-emission hydrogen-powered Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Toyota Mirai, in a pilot aiming at studying the possibilities of establishing a hydrogen-based, carbon-free society.

Toyota’s line-up features several hybrid vehicles including the sporty, practical and environmentally friendly RAV4, the C-HR, an innovative compact SUV, the seven-seater Highlander which is the brands biggest HEV to date, the powerful and efficient Corolla and the sleek and sophisticated Camry.

In September 2019, after a 17-year wait, Al-Futtaim Toyota launched the new 2020 Toyota GR Supra in the UAE, much to the delight of fans and loyalists across the country. With the all-new fifth-generation model, the legendary name returned to set the roads ablaze with a comeback only fitting of the Toyota Supra story, with the 2021 version launching a year later in October 2020.

In August 2020 Al-Futtaim Toyota shook up the lifestyle pickup segment with the introduction of the all-new eighth-generation Toyota Hilux Adventure. This was the first time ever that the Hilux is available as a retail model in the UAE, meaning that it is no longer limited to dominating the commercial-use sector.

For more information and to book a test drive of the latest Toyota models please visit www.toyota.ae 

About Al-Futtaim Automotive

Al-Futtaim Automotive, one of the main five operating divisions within the UAE-based Al-Futtaim Group of companies, is a conglomerate of motoring-related businesses, franchising some of the world’s most-recognized automotive brands and services.

Operating in 10 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa and empowered by around 9,000 associates, the UAE-headquartered Group’s services span across distribution of new and used vehicles, manufacturing, leasing, and aftersales.

Ranging from passenger cars to SUVs, commercial vehicles, industrial and construction equipment as well as motorbikes and quads, Al-Futtaim Automotive Group offers an integrative customer-centric experience for motorists, fleet operators and contractors alike, and strives to become the leader in tailor-made mobility solutions.

About Al-Futtaim Group

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and health; employing more than 33,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, we partner with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands.

Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organisation to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration, integrity, Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day. For more information visit: www.alfuttaim.com

Contacts for media:
Nour Aboulaban | Gambit Communications | nour@gambit.ae
Laureline Schwarz | Head of Corporate Communications | Laure-Line.Schwarz@alfuttaim.com
Hajar AlSuwaidi | Retail Marketing Manager | Hajar.AlSuwaidi@alfuttaim.com