Japanese carmaker Nissan on Thursday announced the appointment of veteran industry executive Rakesh Srivastava as the managing director of Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd (NMIPL). Srivastava will report to Sinan Ozkok, president of Nissan India Operations.
In his previous role, Srivastava has held senior management positions at country’s top two OEMs, Hyundai Motor India and Maruti Suzuki. After his Hyundai stint, Srivastava joined the JSW Group, where he worked as director in charge of EV development.
His appointment comes at a time when the carmaker is facing continuous decline in sales amid an overall automobile slowdown. Even though the carmaker has been India for over decade, it is yet to have a significant presence in the country’s passenger vehicle market.
Not just Nissan, even other carmakers who are yet to crack the Indian market has announced leadership changes in recent times.
On Wednesday, automaker FCA India, which makes and sells Fiat and Jeep branded vehicles, announced that Dr Partha Datta will assume the role of president and managing director.
Datta, an American citizen of Indian origin, joined FCA in 1999 as an engineer. During his tenure at FCA, Datta was also the director of technical centres in Chennai and Pune, as well as the head of product engineering in China.
In his most recent role as head of North American Vehicle Integration and Validation, Datta led a workforce of over 1,500 employees, and integration development activities for over 30 vehicle lines.