Prayer and goodness: Alistair Davis, ONZM
Alistair Davis from our All Saints Palmerston North whānau has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the motoring industry, business and sustainability. He spoke to us about his life's work, and the faith that underpins it.
It's been over 40 years since Alistair started his first job out of university. The day following his last university exam, he took up an accounting role at Toyota New Zealand, and he's been with the company ever since. He received a number of higher-paying job offers, he said, but "they all told me what they could do for me. Toyota was the only one that needed me more than I needed them. I felt I could make a difference so I picked that one."
Alistair's sense of service was what led him to that first role, and that motivated him throughout his career. He never felt especially called by God to his role, but he told us "I never felt called to anything else. I just kept doing the next right thing in front of me."
From his accounting role, he moved into sales and marketing management as Toyota reached the top sales position in the country. After adding after-sales service to his portfolio, he spent a period in the United States on a range of assignments, before coming back into a variety of senior leadership roles. He became CEO in 2008 and kept that position until his retirement last year.
Alistair's passion for improving the lives of New Zealanders is evident. "Cars bring incredible benefit to society. Without them we are limited to what we can do immediately around our homes, but with cars we have access to more opportunities," he told us. During his time as CEO, Toyota revolutionised its sales model leading to lower car prices and an experience for customers that meant the stereotypical used car salesperson persona became a thing of the past. But cars also have drawbacks, he acknowledges: "safety, fossil fuels: we've got to try and ameliorate the bad stuff so people can enhance their lives."
Climate change has become a pressing issue for him, especially as the CEO of a car company - but it is not something he shies away from. "We were put in the Garden of Eden and told to take care of it, and if we stuff that up then we're not following a basic instruction." He tells us that worldwide, Toyota has invested billions in research dating back to the 1970s, which led them to introduce the world's first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle, the Prius, in 1997. "You've got to wake up and realise what science is telling you," he said.
Having already been a long-term member of the Sustainable Business Council, Alistair held a conviction that businesses and government should care for creation and not turn climate change into a political football. In 2018, Alistair co-founded the Climate Leaders Coalition which comprised leaders of companies that might typically be associated with high carbon emissions - Air New Zealand, Z Energy, Fonterra and others. The Coalition set out to encourage bipartisan support for the passing of the Zero Carbon Act, so that together, government and industry could get on with the urgent task of reducing our emissions.
Being made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit is a humbling experience, Alistair said. “A CEO can do very little on their own. "Whatever success I have had at Toyota over the years is largely attributable to the team I have had around me,” he said upon his retirement in the middle of 2020. Part of this success, and the family-like culture he has led at the company, has come from what he describes as "prayer and goodness." There are a group of Christians that work at Toyota and they have formed what's called a "kindness clan." "They pray for us when we have executive meetings," Alistair says. "They also organise people to help colleagues in need. It could be that a family member is sick, so one of the kindness clan will drop off a meal - they might not even know who cooked the meal." The glowing praise for Alistair's honour from his colleagues demonstrates that Toyota has indeed become like a family.
Since retirement, Alistair has continued with the company as non-executive chair of the board. His faith continues to be infused in his work, and in all aspects of life. "I grew up in a Christian family, I've always been a Christian - I can't remember not believing in God." He epitomises the kind of faith that sees goodness in the present day that God has granted us, and in working hard to better the lives of those around him and the world in which we live, in whatever situation God places him in.
You can hear from Alistair in person at Training Day, 27th of February in Palmerston North, where he will lead a workshop entitled "Living missionally in the workplace." Visit movementonline.org.nz/trainingday for more information.
