Toyota has announced this morning that Julie Hamp is resigning from her post as the company’s Chief Communications Officer. The development follows her arrest two weeks ago on charges of having been shipped prescription pain-killers in contravention of Japanese law.
Those who’ve been following the development will know that Hamp was recently promoted to her position as a Managing Officer of the auto giant, breaking barriers as the most senior female executive in the company’s history and one of its top-ranking foreigners. She previously held the corresponding position for Toyota’s US operations.
On June 18, shortly after moving to Japan and taking up her new position, Hamp was arrested by local authorities after they intercepted a package sent to her. Though reportedly marked as jewelry, the shipment allegedly contained 57 capsules of Oxycodone, a prescription opioid that’s legal in the US and in Japan, but tightly controlled in its transportation between countries. Hamp may not have been aware of the applicable regulations, and her boss Akio Toyoda pledged his support. However police subsequently raided Toyota’s headquarters, and Hamp could be looking at years behind bars before being deported.
With the issue still hanging over their heads, and likely to continue for some time to come, Toyota announced that it “has accepted her resignation after considering the concerns and inconvenience that recent events have caused our stakeholders.”
Show full PR text
Jul. 01, 2015
Toyota Statement on Resignation of Managing Officer Julie Hamp
On June 30, 2015, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) received notification from Ms. Julie Hamp of her intent to resign her position of Managing Officer. TMC has accepted her resignation after considering the concerns and inconvenience that recent events have caused our stakeholders.
Because the investigation of Ms. Hamp is ongoing, there is little Toyota can say at this time. However, we intend to learn from this incident to help ensure a secure working environment for everyone at Toyota around the world as we continue to take the steps necessary to become a truly global company. We remain firmly committed to putting the right people in the right places, regardless of nationality, gender, age and other factors.