The Future of Flexible Auto Leasing

Q1. Could you start by giving us a brief overview of your professional background, particularly focusing on your expertise in the industry?

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Retail Management/Marketing from Syracuse University, an MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Howard University, and a Certificate in Marketing for Business Leaders from Cornell University. My automotive career spans more than 25 years across two Fortune 500 companies—Ford Motor Company and Toyota.

At Ford, I worked in call center operations, served as the plant liaison for the Explorer model, and spent most of my time in sales and marketing, covering the Northeast. At Toyota Motor Sales, I rotated through product planning, Lexus marketing, pricing and sales planning, and CRM. I gained exposure to vehicle positioning, competitive analysis, and consumer research that directly impacted go-to-market strategy.

Most recently, I served as a Supplier Relationship Strategic Manager at Toyota Financial Services, where I led oversight and relationship management for 30+ external business partners supporting Experience Center Operations. These partnerships included credit bureaus, print and mail suppliers, collections technology providers, third-party auditors, and more. My role required close collaboration with procurement, compliance, legal, information security, technology, and business unit stakeholders. This cross-functional visibility gave …