JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (June 7, 2016)

Nissan has announced that Simon Frith has been appointed to be the new Managing Director of Nissan Saudi Arabia Co., Ltd., effective June 1. Frith's appointment will accelerate strategic decision making to further develop Nissan's business operations in the Kingdom. He will be based in Jeddah and report to Samir Cherfan, the Managing Director of Nissan Middle East.

The appointment follows Nissan's establishment of a direct presence in Saudi Arabia in 2013 in the form of Nissan Saudi Arabia. Nissan pledged to build on the foundation of its sixty year heritage in the Kingdom by renewing the bond with its people. Nissan is committed to delivering a strong customer-focused dealer network across the Kingdom, its full range of innovative and exciting cars, and the full promise of the Nissan brand experience. In March 2016 Nissan announced that an additional business partner, Petromin Corporation, would join valued dealer partner Alissa Auto as its second strategic partner in Saudi Arabia to help further Nissan's growth and dealer expansion.

With Alissa Auto and Petromin as two robust partners Nissan Saudi Arabia will ramp-up the number of outlets in its dealer network in order to offer the best service to customers. Nissan Saudi Arabia currently has approximately 50 employees dedicated to this work. Prospects for growth may see staffing rise to as many as 80 employees in the future, making a full-time Managing Director to lead management of the business an organizational priority.

"Saudi Arabia is a key market for Nissan. Simon has already demonstrated his auto industry prowess in senior operational roles, and his business acumen and deep regional experience will help us boost our expansion and fuel Nissan's future success in the Kingdom," said Samir Cherfan, Managing Director, Nissan Middle East.

Simon Frith will report to Cherfan, who until now has been running Nissan's operations in Saudi Arabia directly. The new appointment will bring a greater focus on the important KSA market, and enable Cherfan to focus on overall regional management of Nissan's business in the Middle East.

Frith joins Nissan from his most recent position as business director, Lexus Division, Al Sayer Group, which he held since 2015. Prior to that, as Managing Director, marketing services, for Abdul Latif Jameel from 2013, he developed customer strategies for Toyota and Lexus. Previously, he was Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Motors in Dubai from 2007 through 2013, where he held leadership roles in strategy development, operational performance, and sales and marketing for both mainstream and premium brands.

Frith holds a BSc in Business Finance & Economics from the University of East Anglia in the UK.  He is also a CIMA Qualified Accountant.

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About Nissan Saudi Arabia
Nissan has a strong heritage in KSA, dating back to the early 50's. Nissan is committed to becoming a powerful force in the automotive sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through: a host of new models, a completely re-structured sales network and a firm focus on providing customers with the best-possible service.

In September 2013, Nissan announced the appointment of Alissa as its official authorized dealer in the Kingdom. Nissan and Alissa share a very similar vision. Alissa vision is to provide high quality automotive products and dependable after-sales services to customers whose needs and wants are the focus of Alissa's every action. Part of Alissa holding company, Alissa auto has over 60 years in serving Saudi Arabia automotive customers with a success built on its business ethics and customer focus.

In November 2014, Nissan expanded its Saudi Arabian operations by announcing 'Nissan Saudi Arabia', which is a joint venture formed with the auto maker's partner Khaled Juffali Company. This partnership is expected to play an important role in bolstering Nissan's presence in the biggest market in Middle East. Nissan has established a new, fully-fledged office in Jeddah staffed with over 100 people for the joint operation.

About Alissa Auto
Alissa Auto was established by the late Sheikh Abdullatif Alissa and his entrepreneurial spirit to import and sell automobiles to Aramco in the 1950's. He had a vision that one day Riyadh would be the center of trade within the region and so relocated to the capital. Alissa Auto has since established itself as being one of the pioneers of Automotive sales and after sales operations and today, proud to be a Nissan dealer for the Kingdom.

ABOUT PETROMIN
Petromin Corporation (Petromin) is a leading lubricants and automotive services company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia operating four lines of business: car servicing (Petromin Express), fuel retailing, oil lubricants and car dealerships. With more than 3,500 employees, Petromin exports its products to over 35 countries in the GCC, Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Previously jointly-owned by US's ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco, Petromin was acquired by Advanced Petroleum Services in 2007. Major investment and restructuring has driven the company's growth and diversification to provide a full range of automotive services.

Petromin offers fast and reliable vehicle maintenance services which have benefited a large proportion of drivers in Saudi Arabia. It is backed by an extensive network of service centres that provide unparalleled coverage across the Kingdom. The company plans to expand its network to include up to 1,000 service centres by 2020, of which 500 centres have been opened so far and which service over 10,000 customers per day. The company has grown rapidly opening an average of three service centres per week. The company was recently ranked number eight globally for the largest express vehicle service networks on a global scale. Petromin is currently planning to launch a network of car showrooms and vehicle maintenance facilities across the Kingdom. Additionally by end of 2020 Petromin will have 200 branded fuel stations in its network.

About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2015, the company sold more than 5.4 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 12.19 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: ASEAN & Oceania; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500, and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault under the Renault-Nissan Alliance since March 1999.

Please visit the Nissan Media Channel on www.nissan-me.com or 'Like' us at www.facebook.com/NissanME

For Nissan Middle East FZE media enquiries:
Yolande Pineda
Director, Corporate Communications Department
Nissan Middle East FZE
Tel: +971 4 881 7500
Fax: +971 4 881 9747
E-mail: yolande@nissan-me.ae

Mohammed Altawil
Corporate Communications Manager
Nissan Middle East FZE
Tel: +971 4 881 7500
Fax: +971 4 881 9747
E-mail: mohammed.tawil@nissan-me.ae

Bilal Bhaila
Senior Account Executive
Memac Ogilvy Public Relations
Tel: +971 4 305 0307
Mob: +971 55 431 2777
E-mail: bilal.bhaila@ogilvy.com

© Press Release 2016