As Nissan North America Moves South, Major Changes are Announced at Executive Level

Washington DC March 8, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that Nissan is continuing its shift in North America, with new models coming down the pipeline and plans to move its NA headquarters to Tennessee.

On Wednesday, a series of changes to its senior leadership team were announced, including the retirement of Senior Vice President Jed Connelly, a veteran auto executive who has served the company since the late 1980s. Connelly will be succeeded by Brad Bradshaw, current VP and General Manager for the Nissan division. Bradshaw will be responsible for directing all sales, marketing and product planning activities for both the Nissan and Infiniti divisions.

Among other changes: NNA's Senior Vice President of administration and finance Jim Morton will become Vice Chairman of NNA and continue his direction of Nissan's U.S. government and community affairs activities; Dominique Thormann will move over from Nissan Europe in order to succeed Morton as Senior VP of administration and finance, with responsibility over Nissan Motor Acceptance Corportion; Doug Betts, who currently serves as VP of product quality for NNA, moves to Senior VP of Total Customer Satisfaction, effective April 1, 2006; and Larry Dominique, currently the Director of Product Planning for NNA, will move to VP of Product Planning for NNA, replacing Jack Collins, who is retiring.

According to a press release issued this morning by the automaker, the moves are "aimed at furthering the company's drive to sustaining long term profitable growth."

Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn expressed deep gratitude to Jed Connelly for his contributions and leadership to the company. He praised Connelly for leading "the North American team through a period of unprecedented growth and profitability" and wished him well. Speaking to the host of changes announced, Ghosn offered: "We face significant challenges in an increasingly competitive industry and it has always been the quality of our people that gave us the ultimate competitive advantage."

Ghosn said, "All these responsibilities are crucial to the successful fulfillment of the Nissan Value-Up business plan and our longer term success."