Ivan Espinosa To Replace Makoto Uchida As Nissan’s CEO From April 1

Nissan has officially announced that its current Chief Planning Officer, Ivan Espinosa, will be elevated to the role of President and CEO of the company from April 1, 2025. Espinosa succeeds Makoto Uchida as the head of the company as Nissan looks to revitalise its business globally after poor financial results in recent years. The news arrives after a slew of reports suggesting that Uchida could be replaced as company CEO following the brand’s lacklustre financial performances and the proposed merger with Honda falling through.

Also read: Nissan GT-R R35 Bows Out After 18 Years; Order Books Close In Japan

Espinosa’s appointment was part of a broader management reshuffle, with Nissan’s board also making changes to the company’s executive committee with new roles and responsibilities from April 1. Guillaume Cartier, Nissan’s Chief Performance Officer and management committee chairperson for Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania, is set to have an expanded role in the company and is now also set to head global marketing and customer experience. Meanwhile, Eiichi Akashi, corporate vice president of Vehicle Planning and Component Engineering, will take over as Nissan’s new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Executive Officer.

Also read: Official: Honda, Nissan Merger Off With Termination Of MoU

Uchida will stay on as a director of Nissan up till the company's annual general meeting in June 2025.

Teiji Hirata, Nissan’s corporate vice president of Vehicle Production Engineering and Development, will be elevated to the role of executive officer, responsible for Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. Nissan CFO, Jeremy Papin, will also be appointed as an executive officer.

Nissan says that Uchida, along with outgoing CTO Kunio Nakaguro, will retain their roles as company directors till the upcoming company annual general meeting planned for June 2025.