Nissan names Makoto Uchida as next CEO

TOKYO/PARIS — The board of Nissan has picked Senior Vice President Makoto Uchida as its next chief executive and Ashwani Gupta as its chief operating officer, two sources said on Tuesday, following a board meeting of the scandal-hit automaker.

Directors at Nissan, including those from top shareholder Renault, voted unanimously in favor of the two executives, one of the sources said. Both of the sources spoke on condition of anonymity.

No one was immediately available for comment at Nissan. The automaker was due to hold a news conference at 11:30 GMT.

The decision, earlier reported by the Nikkei newspaper, comes after months of turmoil at Japan’s second-largest automaker following the downfall of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn last year and the departure of former CEO Hiroto Saikawa last month.

Ghosn is awaiting trial in Tokyo on financial misconduct charges that he denies. Saikawa was forced to step down after he admitted to being improperly overpaid. The internal strife also has implications for Nissan’s often difficult relationship with Renault

Uchida was not seen as one of the frontrunners in the race to be the next chief executive, Reuters has reported. The India-born Gupta is currently COO of alliance junior partner Mitsubishi Motors.