Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. recently unveiled significant changes to its senior leadership team as part of its ongoing efforts to achieve short- and mid-term goals while laying the foundation for long-term growth. These changes, announced on March 11, 2025, take effect on April 1, 2025, and include a refreshed executive lineup aimed at strengthening operations globally.
Key Leadership Changes
Ivan Espinosa, who currently serves as Chief Planning Officer, has been appointed as the new Representative Executive Officer, President, and CEO, succeeding Makoto Uchida. This major shift signals a critical step in Nissan’s leadership evolution.
A restructured Executive Committee will operate under Espinosa’s leadership starting April 1:
- Guillaume Cartier, Chief Performance Officer and Chairperson of the Management Committee for AMIEO (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania), will take on additional responsibilities for global marketing and customer experience.
- Eiichi Akashi, Corporate Vice President (CVP) of the Vehicle Planning and Vehicle Component Engineering Division, will become Chief Technology Officer, replacing Kunio Nakaguro.
- Teiji Hirata, currently CVP of Vehicle Production Engineering and Development Division, will serve as Chief Monozukuri Officer, overseeing manufacturing and supply chain management, succeeding Hideyuki Sakamoto.
- Jeremy Papin, Nissan’s Chief Financial Officer, will also assume the role of Executive Officer.
Some senior executives will maintain their current roles, including:
- Stephen Ma, Chairperson of the Management Committee for China.
- Mitsuro Antoku, Chief Quality Officer.
- Toru Ihara, Chief HR Officer .
Additional Appointments
Other management appointments reflect the company’s strategic realignment:
- Shohei Yamazaki, chairperson of the Management Committee for Japan-ASEAN, will expand his role to oversee affiliated companies.
- Tatsuzo Tomita, CVP of Product Development No. 2, will take on former CTO Akashi’s responsibilities in Research & Development (R&D) and also lead Nissan’s Total Delivered Cost (TdC) Transformation initiative.
- Manabu Sakane, CVP of Purchasing, will lead Strategy Acceleration.
Departures
Several executives will step down from their roles on March 31, including:
- Asako Hoshino, Chief Brand & Customer Officer.
- Hideaki Watanabe, Chief Strategy & Corporate Affairs Officer.
- Former CEO Makoto Uchida and Hideyuki Sakamoto will retain their directorship positions until the annual general meeting in June.
Broader Strategic Focus
These leadership changes highlight Nissan’s focus on bolstering key areas such as technology development, customer satisfaction, marketing, and operational efficiency. Notable efforts include aligning global marketing initiatives with strategic goals, streamlining supply chain and manufacturing, and advancing research and development efforts to support innovation.
