Nissan has announced the appointment of Guillaume Cartier as Senior Vice President and Chairman for its Africa, Middle East, and India region (AMI) and Head of the Global Datsun Business Unit, effective from April 1, 2020.

In this new role, Cartier will lead the regional management committee. He will also be responsible for business strategy and performance with all functional heads for Nissan. Additionally, he will assume the role of Head of Datsun globally.

Cartier is succeeding Peyman Kargar who is taking up a strategic corporate role at Nissan following three years as AMI Chairman and global head of Datsun.

Commenting on the development, Ashwini Gupta, Global Chief Operating Officer, Nissan said, “Africa, Middle East, and India region continues to be significant for Nissan in terms of long-term growth and potential market share. Cartier brings in a wealth of senior experience from this part of the world, having over 25 years at Nissan, and our alliance partner Mitsubishi, which will be vital in continuing to drive our business forward by meeting the needs of an expanding and evolving customer base.”

Cartier has re-joined Nissan from its Alliance partner Mitsubishi, where he served as Executive Officer and Senior Vice President, Mitsubishi Motors. Prior to that, he has held several senior positions with Nissan, which he first joined in 1995, including SVP Sales & Marketing for Nissan Europe in 2013.

Commenting on his appointment, Cartier stated in media, “We have a strong positioning in terms of products, services, and industrial footprint, as well as an opportunity to expand our Nissan Intelligent Mobility (NIM) platform and innovative approach to mobility solutions across the region.”

He further added that "My appointment comes at a time of unprecedented change in our world today. We know these are challenging times for our industry as well as other sectors. This is when we must focus on what matters for us as a global company with a commitment to enrich people’s lives and ensure the health and wellbeing of our customers, business partners, and employees."

Cartier has an MBA from ESSEC Graduate School of Economics and Commerce University.