The Lieutenant: Hiroto Saikawa has worked for Nissan since 1977 and has spent the past three months as co-CEO, preparing for the day – now confirmed as April 1 – when he will take the reins at the Japanese auto giant.

NISSAN Motor Company chief executive Carlos Ghosn will hand over the reins to his lieutenant, Hiroto Saikawa, on April 1 and focus his attention on the “expansion and stewardship” of the entire group which includes Renault and Mitsubishi.

Mr Ghosn has been chief executive of Nissan since June 2001 and is credited with steering the company from near-bankruptcy to profitability after joining two years earlier as chief operating officer.

The Brazilian-born Frenchman brought a formidable reputation as ‘Le Cost Cutter’ to bear on the Japanese car-maker – forged over a 15-year period with Michelin during the 1980s and early 1990s – and will remain a driving force as chairman of all three alliance companies and CEO of the Renault Group.

A 40-year Nissan veteran, Mr Saikawa has been groomed to take over the top job, serving as co-CEO since last November after spending the previous three years as ‘chief competitive officer’ – a role that saw him responsible for maintaining Nisan’s “global competitiveness and leading global purchasing, manufacturing, supply chain management, R&D and total customer satisfaction”.

He has held a variety of senior management positions since Mr Ghosn has been at the helm, including chairman of the management committees of the Americas and Europe and executive vice-president of purchasing, and sat on the Renault board from 2006 to 2016.

Mr Saikawa is also currently chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), which is a peak industry body along similar lines to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) in Australia.

The “management evolution”, as Nissan is describing it, comes as France’s PSA Group – parent of the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands, and the arch-rival of Renault – is expanding its operations on various fronts and could soon take over General Motors’ European brands Opel and Vauxhall if a takeover deal currently being thrashed out proves successful.

Carlos Ghosn

In a statement released this week, Mr Ghosn said he will seek renewal of his mandate at the company’s general shareholders meeting in June, which has a focus on expansion and ensuring “the opportunities available to alliance members are fully harnessed”.

Turning around the fortunes of Mitsubishi will clearly be a major area of attention.

“As Nissan’s chairman, I will continue to supervise and guide the company, both independently and within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance,” Mr Ghosn said.

“This planned change will also allow me to devote more time and energy to managing the strategic and operational evolution and expansion of the alliance and ensuring that all its members benefit from the competitive advantages that its scale will deliver.

“I am committed to supporting the alliance as it evolves and expands, and will continue to serve each member of the alliance wherever and whenever necessary.”

Mr Ghosn added that he was “confident that the management team I have developed at Nissan over the past 18 years has the talent and experience to meet the company’s operational and strategic goals”.

“Having recently taken on new responsibilities at Mitsubishi Motors, and taking into consideration the upcoming Nissan general shareholders meeting, I have decided that the time is right for Hiroto Saikawa to succeed me as Nissan’s CEO,” he said.

Overseas reports characterise Mr Saikawa as a results-driven, no-nonsense operator who will keep a close eye on costs while ensuring Nissan remains at the leading edge of the industry in an era of rapid technological change.

“Under Mr Ghosn’s chairmanship and with the support of the excellent leadership team that has been built at Nissan, my focus will be delivering our company’s continued performance and development and on continuing Nissan’s contribution to the success of the alliance,” he said.

By Terry Martin