Who could Succeed Makoto Uchida as Nissan CEO?

Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida is under increasing pressure over the Japanese automaker's deteriorating performance, and board members are scheduled to meet on March 11 to discuss potential successors.

The management turmoil that has beset Nissan since the removal of former chairman Carlos Ghosn is reflected in the fact that Uchida's successor will become the fourth person to lead the automaker in less than six years.

Reports from Japanese media outlets and people with knowledge of the matter indicate that the following people are being contemplated as possible Uchida successors:

Jeremie Papin

Papin was hired in January to serve as Nissan's CFO. He previously chaired the management committee for the Americas, where he was in charge of the luxury Infiniti and Nissan brands. The American and French national held a number of positions at Renault and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance prior to joining Nissan in 2018. Additionally, he has worked as a financial analyst with a focus on the European automotive industry for Deutsche Bank, Lehman Brothers, and Nomura.

Ivan Espinosa

Espinosa was named chief planning officer in April 2024 as part of a senior management overhaul aimed at hastening Nissan's transition to electric vehicles. He joined Nissan in 2003 and has spent most of his career in Mexico. His professional experience includes positions in Southeast Asia and Europe. Espinosa has overseen product planning and development initiatives, as well as the automaker's global product strategy and portfolio.

Guillaume Cartier

In December, the 30-year veteran of the company was promoted to chief performance officer, broadening his responsibilities while continuing to manage global sales and after-sales as well as several regions, including the Americas, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, India, and Europe. Cartier, who speaks French and English and resides in Paris, started working for Nissan in 1995 as an after-sales manager.

He was also employed by Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan's junior alliance partner.

Jun Seki

Seki has been the chief strategy officer for Foxconn's electric vehicle business since early 2023.He joined Nissan in 1986 and worked his way up the ranks, eventually leading the company's operations in China. He was widely regarded as a potential CEO candidate, but lost out to current CEO Uchida in 2019. Seki was tasked with leading Nissan's turnaround plan, but he left to join Japanese automaker Nidec in 2020.Two years later, he resigned from Nidec to accept responsibility for declining earnings. Domestic media has mentioned Seki as a potential successor if Nissan forms a four-way alliance with Honda, Foxconn, and Mitsubishi Motors.