Nissan realigns regional operations to accelerate business transformation in newly created AMIEO region

• Europe including Russia, Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania to form new region covering 140 markets

Nissan today announced a realignment of its global regions, to drive through the next phase of the Nissan NEXT global transformation plan.

Globally, seven geographic regions will become four - Japan and ASEAN, the Americas, China, and the new AMIEO region made up of Africa, Middle East, India, Europe (including Russia) and Oceania.

AMEIO will cover more than 140 markets with a population of around 3.8 billion, with 45 Nissan products on sale ranging from the iconic Nissan Patrol SUV to the all-electric Nissan LEAF. The new region will enable faster decision-making and create a more flexible working model across a number of markets where Nissan is electrifying its model range.

Gianluca de Ficchy, currently Chairman of Nissan Europe, will be Chairman of the new region. Guillaume Cartier, currently Chairman of the AMI region, will become President of AMI and Vice-Chair of the new region, responsible for marketing & sales.

The AMIEO region and management team will take effect from October 1st, with full implementation of the new region to begin following consultation with employee representatives in Europe.

“This realignment and reorientation will help us to be more competitive, improving the quality and speed of our operations and allowing us to deploy the latest technologies more consistently and more quickly to our customers,” said De Ficchy.

“The increased scale and scope of this new region will align the business better to meet the challenges we are facing across the automotive industry. This will mean a positive shift in the way we operate and cooperate across the globe, in order to ensure the future success of the business.”

Management of the Manufacturing, R&D, Planning, Administration and Finance functions will from October 1st cover Europe, Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania, with Sales and Marketing teams to continue to be focused on specific geographies, to ensure Nissan products and services remain optimized for customers across all markets.

“Through Nissan NEXT we are transforming the company into a leaner, more agile and profit-focused organization. As always, our people will be the driving force behind our future success and I’m looking forward to bringing such a diverse and talented group of people together,” added Cartier.

“The increased scale and scope of the regional organization will help us to accelerate the roll out of innovations in our vehicles to customers across the new region, and to leverage our strengths across multiple segments to improve business performance.”

The senior management team for the AMIEO region will also include:

• Kevin Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice President for Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management
• David Moss, Senior Vice President for R&D
• George Leondis, Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance
• François Bailly, Senior Vice President, Chief Planning Officer
• Jordi Vila, Divisional Vice President for Marketing and Sales Operations, Europe
• Joni Paiva, Divisional Vice President for Marketing and Sales Operations, Africa, Middle East, India, and Oceania

AMIEO - FACTS AND FIGURES

• Geographical scope of Africa, Middle East, India, Europe (including Russia) and Oceania, covering more than 140 markets
• Population of around 3.8 billion people
• 29 million vehicles sold in 2019, representing more than 30% of global vehicle sales
• 820,000 Nissan, Datsun and Infiniti sales in 2019
• Plants in 3 continents
• Key Nissan models include Qashqai, Navara, Patrol and LEAF

-Ends-

Media Contact:
Nthabiseng Mokoape-Motsepe
Head: Corporate Communication
Nissan Group of Africa
Ernest Oppenheimer Street, Rosslyn,
Pretoria 0200, Republic of South Africa
Phone: +27 (0) 12 529 6127
nthabisengm@nissan.co.za
www.nissanafrica.com
http//africa.nissanmotornews.com  

About Nissan in Africa

Nissan South Africa is the operational hub for Regional Business Unit South, serving Nissan's key South Africa market and 45 other countries in Sub Saharan Africa, including Angola, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria as well as the key Southern African markets of Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland. In South Africa, the company offers a range of 24 vehicles under the Nissan and Datsun brands, including the popular locally-produced Nissan light commercial vehicles - the NP200 half ton pickup and NP300 one-ton Hardbody - produced at the company's Rosslyn plant, north west of Pretoria. Nissan made history locally in 2013 with the introduction of Africa’s first electric vehicle, Nissan's flagship Nissan LEAF. As well as boasting zero emissions leadership, Nissan is also a leader in the crossover segment. The Nigeria plant, in partnership with the Nissan and Stallion Group, formed after the Nigerian government introduction of new policies to stimulate local industry. Production of the first Nissan vehicles started at Stallion’s VON plant in Lagos in April 2014, in doing so Nissan became the first OEM automaker to build cars in Nigeria for Nigeria. The plant assembles the Nissan Patrol, Almera, NP300 and Urvan. Nissan is targeting significant growth on the continent with a strong sales network and expanded product range introduced in emerging markets with innovative vehicles across the board including award-winning models such as the Qashqai and X-Trail. More about Nissan in Africa: www.africa.nissanmotornews.com 

© Press Release 2020