Al-Futtaim Toyota & Lexus has a new man at the helm with Jacques Brent taking over the reins. Jacques brings with him 30 years of automotive experience including senior level positions in marketing, finance, sales and business management in Ford. 

At Ford, Jacques played a key role in leading the Blue Oval’s transition to electric vehicles. With this in mind, Al-Futtaim decided he was the perfect man for its sustainable mobility strategy. 

Jacques spent 24 years 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. It was Ford with whom Jacques got his first experience in Asia Pacific when he went to Ford’s Shanghai office as Executive Marketing Director for the Asia Pacific and Africa region.

Alongside this, he also led Halfway to a commanding position in South Africa’s pre-owned sector. 

Jacques said, “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.

Commenting on the future of mobility and bringing Al-Futtaim in line with UAE’s vision on sustainability, he 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.”