2024 Legacy of Disruption Winner Tom Doll, Former CEO of Subaru of AmericaTom Doll changed the way Subaru operates. During a 40-year tenure at the automaker, he worked to develop some of the best-known vehicles and marketing campaigns in the automotive world. His hands helped to mold Subaru into the quirky, inclusive brand it is today. But, his legacy is even larger.
'I believe that our Japanese executives allowed me free rein to experiment because things were so bad in the U.S. market. If times were good, I doubt we would have been able to implement many of the things we did,' said Doll.Subaru was historically a price- and incentive-based sales company. Doll changed that. He put equal emphasis on the marketing of the brand and the product and on selling it.