Tien: “I believe that as a Canadian, we were trained to be sensitive to cultural diversity. ... I have to say thank you to the Canadian government and our people in Canada that we are nurturing a very tolerant society.”
For most Canadians, the Vietnam War was a distant conflict. For Hao Quoc Tien, a Vietnamese Canadian who is now CEO of the Asia Region for Toyota Motor Corp., it became a defining element for his career.
Fleeing the country for Canada, followed by the difficult integration into Canadian society, gave Tien a new perspective on overcoming challenges.
"Canadians Abroad” is an occasional feature that spotlights Canadians working in the auto industry in other countries.
“I think that element allowed me to look at very difficult situations with a much lighter view, like an opportunity,” he said during an interview in April 2023. “I’ve seen this before, I’ve been in a much worse situation than here, so why do I worry?”
Today Tien, president of Toyota Motor Asia Pacific, is among the automaker’s most senior global executives, but he got his start working for the railway. After graduating from the University of Waterloo in Ontario with a bachelor of applied sciences, in 1990 Tien became manager of intermodal services for the Canadian Pacific Railway, now known as CPKC.
His time at CP Rail sparked his interest in automotive, as vehicles were among the key products his intermodal services helped ship. Toyota was one of his clients. Nine years later, Tien joined Toyota Canada Inc. as director and chief information officer.
“Working with them through the years, I started to like the Toyota culture,” he told Automotive News Canada from Singapore. “So when the opportunity came in 1999, I actually joined the company. So it’s not really about automotive; it’s Toyota that attracted me.”
After 11 years at Toyota, Tien was appointed general manager of Toyota Motor Corp. in Japan, then vice-president of Lexus China and then senior vice-president of sales and marketing for Toyota Motor Asia Pacific. From his base in Singapore, he worked his way up to COO of sales and marketing before moving into various top-level positions in Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Thailand, all while based in Singapore.
EYE-OPENING
Becoming an industry insider, Tien said, opened his eyes to the vast scope of the automotive business, from mining to manufacturing to financial services, marketing and warranty work. He credits his insatiable curiosity for inspiring his career growth.
“I like to learn different things about the industry, so that encouraged me to move from job to job,” he said. “I believe that curiosity and desire to learn really fit into Toyota’s job rotation culture.”
Tien said he never had eyes on the corporate suite in Singapore.
“I never thought that way. I always take every opportunity one day at a time and one opportunity at a time.”
Tien’s role in Asia is vastly different from those of his counterparts in Canada or the United States, where company presidents deal with regulations and market conditions within their borders. Tien deals with 17 countries, stretching from India to the Philippines.
He credits his Canadian upbringing for his ability to navigate different cultures.
“As an immigrant, as an Asian Canadian, I feel comfortable in different cultures, in moving around,” Tien said. “I believe that as a Canadian, we were trained to be sensitive to cultural diversity. ... I have to say thank you to the Canadian government and our people in Canada that we are nurturing a very tolerant society.”
