Toshiba International Corporation has appointed Colin Joeright as Director of Distribution Sales for its Motors & Drives Division.

Houston-based TIC announced the appointment June 29, stating that Joeright succeeds John O’Brien, who is transitioning into an advisory role as he begins planning for retirement after a 40-year career with Toshiba.

Joeright brings 18 years of experience with Toshiba, including 10 years in sales leadership roles. In his new position, he will focus on expanding distribution opportunities, strengthening partner engagement and maintaining the responsiveness and support that TIC said customers expect from Toshiba.

O’Brien spent four decades with TIC, including the past 15 years as Director of Distribution Sales. The company said he played a key role in growing and developing the Motors & Drives distribution business while building long-standing relationships across the industry.

“We are excited to welcome Colin into this leadership role and look forward to the continued growth of our distribution business under his direction,” Patrick Hines, Vice President of Industrial Sales, said in the release. “We also sincerely thank John for his outstanding leadership and contributions to Toshiba over the past 40 years.”

TIC said O’Brien will continue to provide guidance and support during the leadership transition.

Toshiba International Corporation is a Toshiba America Group company and wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation. The company is headquartered in Houston and provides application solutions for industries that include energy, general industrial, data centers, automotive and medical.

TIC’s Motors & Drives Division offers a broad portfolio of low- and medium-voltage motors, adjustable speed drives, motor controls, vacuum contactors, vacuum circuit breakers, PLCs and instrumentation products. The division’s products are used across demanding industrial applications and can be customized to meet specific performance requirements.

The leadership change is notable for distributors serving electric motors, drives, power transmission and related industrial product categories, given TIC’s focus on distribution channel growth and support through the division.