To meet the demands of an increasingly competitive North American market, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. President and CEO Hiroto Saikawa and Nissan North America Chairman Denis Le Vot have announced Nissan Latin America Chairman Jose Valls is appointed vice chairman, Nissan North America, in charge of U.S. sales and marketing, effective January 2, 2019.
“Jose’s experience will prove valuable as we execute our plans to deliver sustainable retail growth in line with Nissan’s global strategy,” said Denis Le Vot. “We are continuing to strengthen the Nissan brand with the introduction of new products such as the KICKS subcompact crossover and the all-new 2019 Altima, which are driving retail growth.”
Valls will continue to lead the Latin America region until his replacement is announced. For the North America role, Valls will report to Le Vot.
“While the North American market has presented quite a challenge, we are fortunate to be able to draw support from across our global network from leaders such as Jose Valls,” said Hiroto Saikawa.
Valls assumed his current role in January 2014. He joined Nissan in April 2011 as regional vice president, Commercial Division, Nissan Mexicana, and he was promoted to president and managing director, Nissan Mexicana in April 2012. Prior to that he worked for other major automotive manufacturers in sales operations, fleet and commercial, distribution, dealer development, product development and portfolio management.
Valls holds a bachelor’s degree in public accounting from Pontificia Universidad Catolica Santa Maria in Argentina and a master’s degree in management from the University of California, Berkeley.
Source: Nissan
