- Makoto Uchida, President and CEO of Nissan since 2019, has stepped down from his role.
- Ivan Espinosa, current chief planning officer, will replace Uchida, effective April 1.
- Nissan’s board of directors has also decided on a new round of management changes.
Nissan has announced a shakeup at the top of its leadership, and it’s a big one. The company revealed that CEO Makoto Uchida will step down, with Ivan Espinosa, currently the chief planning officer, set to take over from April 1, 2025. This ends weeks of speculation about who would succeed Uchida, who’s led the beleaguered automaker for over five years.
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Espinosa steps into the role amid challenging industry conditions and lackluster performance. Uchida, who took over in 2019 following the Carlos Ghosn scandal, led a recovery in 2022 and 2023. However, 2024 told a different story, with declining sales, disappointing financial results, and a restructuring plan that included production cuts and layoffs. And that was all before the recent collapse of merger talks with Honda.
A Necessary Leadership Change
Yasushi Kimura, Independent Outside Director and Chair of Nissan’s Board, framed the transition as essential for the company’s survival. “Given the industry-wide challenges and Nissan’s performance, we believe that it is necessary as well as appropriate to change the top management team. Nissan is in the midst of transformation. We believe we chose the right person who is qualified to lead the company in these times.”
Uchida, for his part, took a more diplomatic approach in explaining his departure. “I have been saying that my stepping down is to be decided by the board of directors. As I said last month, I believe that clarifying the director of Nissan as soon as possible and quickly passing the baton to my successor is the way to take responsibility as the CEO of the company. To this end I have been striving to improve Nissan’s performance,” he explained.
That said, Uchida acknowledged that since unveiling his turnaround plan last fall, both internal and external critics have questioned his leadership. “The top priority of Nissan today is to break away from the current situation as quickly as possible and bring the company back on the growth track,” he added.
Of course, that’s easier said than done when you’re grappling with a failed merger deal and looming external pressures, such as Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Japanese imports—Nissan’s largest market. The culmination of all these issues is why Uchida’s departure has come so soon, though he will remain a director until the company’s annual general meeting in June 2025.
More Management Changes on the Horizon
But it’s not just the CEO role that’s changing—Nissan has also shaken up its Executive Committee. The automaker is expanding the roles of certain executives while replacing others, marking the second round of management changes following the first set of shifts in January.
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Aside from Uchida, a number of high-ranking executives are set to leave Nissan, including Kunio Nakaguro (Chief Technology Officer), Hideyuki Sakamoto (Chief Monozukuri Officer and Executive Officer, responsible for Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management), Asako Hoshino (Chief Brand & Customer Officer), and Hideaki Watanabe (Chief Strategy & Corporate Affairs Officer).
According to Nissan, this “significantly renewed leadership lineup” is designed to help the company achieve its “short- and mid-term objectives while positioning it for long-term growth.” Whether that growth will materialize remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear: the company is betting on change.
For a deeper look, check out the online press conference that was streamed earlier today.
