Nissan COO-CPO Ashwani Gupta left, Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida, center – February 2021 in Japan.
Nissan Motor in Yokohama, Japan said that Ashwani Gupta, Representative Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer (COO), will leave the company “to pursue other opportunities” effective 27 June 2023. Gupta will also “retire” from the board of directors at the end of the annual general meeting of shareholders to be held on that same day.
The timing is less than ideal for the Alliance, which arguably has not recovered from the Carlos Ghosn matter. Now, more internal strife and likely damaging infighting have appeared at Nissan. Only four months ago Renault, Nissan and the Alliance said that they are taking new steps to increase value for stakeholders. These include operational projects in Latin America, India and Europe; enhanced strategic agility with new initiatives that partners can join; and a re-balanced Renault Group-Nissan cross-shareholding and reinforced Alliance governance. The Boards of Directors of Renault Group and Nissan Motor have approved these changes.
Serving as Nissan’s COO since December 2019, Gupta was instrumental in the development and execution of the Nissan NEXT transformation plan which focuses on establishing the foundation of Nissan’s business towards growth. Gupta held key leadership positions and is credited within Nissan as being a driving force in various successful Alliance projects over several years.
The transactions contained in the revised agreements were expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2023. In the tangled web of differing individual country industrial policies this was supposed to bring some measure of stability to a global, multi-national, politically diverse enterprise as the movement to electrified vehicles and other earth-saving technologies continues.
The 24-year-old Alliance covers 100% of the world’s major global vehicle markets with Euro €85 billion in annual purchases. It already shares 60% of its vehicle platforms, and up to 90% of EV architectures, noted Jean-Dominique Senard, Chairman of the Alliance Board at the press conference in February of 2023.
The upside for all is survival in a difficult environment, in AutoInformed’s view. Senard also said that the French State is completely behind the agreement. At the very least it locks in some badly needed economies of scale. It follows a general realignment ongoing at other global automakers.
As with all such strategic agreements, announcing them is one thing. However, building a culture of shared trust across vast, diverse enterprises is quite another matter as the sorry Ghosn saga illustrated. Moreover, governments, technologies and customer expectations are moving at different speeds and in different, sometimes contradictory directions. (AutoInformed on: Corporate Climate Change – Honda Reveals Reorganization; Khan, Mercedes Chief Technology Officer, Leaves Prompting Reorganization with Focus on Electric Only; GM, Honda to Develop New EVs for Sale in 2027; Nissan Blasts Ghosn as Unfit to Serve as An Executive)
Longtime Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta Leaving
Nissan COO-CPO Ashwani Gupta left, Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida, center – February 2021 in Japan.
Nissan Motor in Yokohama, Japan said that Ashwani Gupta, Representative Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer (COO), will leave the company “to pursue other opportunities” effective 27 June 2023. Gupta will also “retire” from the board of directors at the end of the annual general meeting of shareholders to be held on that same day.
The timing is less than ideal for the Alliance, which arguably has not recovered from the Carlos Ghosn matter. Now, more internal strife and likely damaging infighting have appeared at Nissan. Only four months ago Renault, Nissan and the Alliance said that they are taking new steps to increase value for stakeholders. These include operational projects in Latin America, India and Europe; enhanced strategic agility with new initiatives that partners can join; and a re-balanced Renault Group-Nissan cross-shareholding and reinforced Alliance governance. The Boards of Directors of Renault Group and Nissan Motor have approved these changes.
Serving as Nissan’s COO since December 2019, Gupta was instrumental in the development and execution of the Nissan NEXT transformation plan which focuses on establishing the foundation of Nissan’s business towards growth. Gupta held key leadership positions and is credited within Nissan as being a driving force in various successful Alliance projects over several years.
The transactions contained in the revised agreements were expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2023. In the tangled web of differing individual country industrial policies this was supposed to bring some measure of stability to a global, multi-national, politically diverse enterprise as the movement to electrified vehicles and other earth-saving technologies continues.
The 24-year-old Alliance covers 100% of the world’s major global vehicle markets with Euro €85 billion in annual purchases. It already shares 60% of its vehicle platforms, and up to 90% of EV architectures, noted Jean-Dominique Senard, Chairman of the Alliance Board at the press conference in February of 2023.
The upside for all is survival in a difficult environment, in AutoInformed’s view. Senard also said that the French State is completely behind the agreement. At the very least it locks in some badly needed economies of scale. It follows a general realignment ongoing at other global automakers.
As with all such strategic agreements, announcing them is one thing. However, building a culture of shared trust across vast, diverse enterprises is quite another matter as the sorry Ghosn saga illustrated. Moreover, governments, technologies and customer expectations are moving at different speeds and in different, sometimes contradictory directions. (AutoInformed on: Corporate Climate Change – Honda Reveals Reorganization; Khan, Mercedes Chief Technology Officer, Leaves Prompting Reorganization with Focus on Electric Only; GM, Honda to Develop New EVs for Sale in 2027; Nissan Blasts Ghosn as Unfit to Serve as An Executive)