Hino Trucks has announced the appointment of Glenn Ellis to the position of president and chairman of the board for Hino Trucks, effective Feb. 1. Ellis succeeds Shigehiro Matsuoka, who retired after holding the position for four years, and will become the first U.S.-born president of Hino Trucks. In addition, Ellis will also serve as an officer of Hino Motors Limited, Hino Trucks’ parent company.

Ellis joined Hino Trucks in 2004 and has led the efforts to build Hino Trucks’ brand in the U.S. market, the company noted. In his most recent role as senior vice president of customer experience, Glenn focused on expanding Hino’s dealer network and product offering to include zero-emissions trucks while continuing to grow Hino trucks’ market share.

The company touted in a recent press release that as president, Ellis will continue to focus on the dealer and customer relationship and will grow the brand by driving Hino Trucks’ product development, adding enhanced technology and innovation, and supporting a faster decision-making process.

Hino Trucks also announced several other organizational changes as part of its overall restructuring to support widening product options and growth in the U.S. Bob Petz, who previously served as senior vice president of vehicle- and parts sales, is appointed chief operating officer and executive vice president. In addition to product development, all sales, parts and service operations will report to him in his new role.

John Donato, previously vice president of parts operations, will take over as senior vice president of sales and marketing. This move will allow Hino Trucks to align regional parts-, sales-, and service cross-functional teams to work toward the same vision with a stronger focus on dealer and customer support, increased productivity, and improved communication, the company noted.