Derbyshire's New High Sheriff Tony Walker CBE

Pat Ashworth talks to the former Deputy MD of Toyota Manufacturing UK who was installed as High Sheriff of Derbyshire for 2020/21 on 2nd April

It has been an unprecedented start to Anthony (Tony) Walker’s year as High Sheriff of Derbyshire. His installation would have been at Ashbourne Methodist Church on 2nd April and instead took place virtually with him at home in Bradley and key people joining from their own locations by group conferencing. But a man who has been at the very top of the motor industry is well equipped to deal with the additional challenges the role presents in trying times like these. ‘We may have to be innovative,’ he says cheerfully, ‘and think through what added value the High Sheriff can offer in the present situation.’

Tony Walker spent 42 years in the car industry, almost half of them at Toyota Manufacturing UK (TMUK) at Burnaston. He was one of the first employees when it opened in 1990 – the fourth British person to be appointed – and, as head of Human Resources, played a fundamental role in the establishment and development of the company.

From 2001, he lived and worked in Brussels for Toyota’s European operation, returning in 2010 to become deputy managing director at Burnaston for a further eight years. He finished his career as managing director of Toyota Motor Europe’s London office until his retirement in 2019, where his responsibilities brought him in regular engagement with cabinet ministers and civil servants over key issues such as Brexit and climate change.