Nissan has appointed Makoto Uchida as its new chief executive officer and Ashwani Gupta as its new chief operating officer, with the new bosses to take their positions by January 1, 2020.
Uchida will replace Yasuhiro Yamauchi, who became Nissan’s interim president following Hiroto Saikawa’s resignation on September 16.
Makoto Uchida is currently the boss of Nissan’s Chinese arm, which under his helm has contributed almost a third of the car maker’s operating income. Priot to that, Uchida was an alliance executive in purchasing and he’s considered a supporter of the Renault-Nissan alliance.
“The board concluded that Uchida is the right leader to drive the business forward,” said Yasushi Kimura, Nissan’s Chairman. “We expect Uchida to lead the company as one team, immediately focus on the recovery of the business and revitalize the company.”
Uchida will work together with Ashwani Gupta, a former Renault executive who’s also chief operating officer at Mitsubishi, and Jun Seki, who is appointed vice-COO, creating a leadership team for Nissan.
A source close to Renault said to Automotive News that the selection of Uchida and Gupta is “a victory for the alliance”, adding that both men knew the business and are ready to help Nissan recover.
“We look forward to Gupta and Seki fully leveraging their expertise and experience to support the new CEO,” added Kimura.
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