Aftermath of Ghosn’s removal slowly being dealt with.
A meeting was held in Amsterdam recently where it was decreed that, among the CEOs of Renault, Mitsubishi, and Nissan, the role of Chairman of the Alliance would be filled by no one individual. Instead, the CEO-trio decided that the role would be filled by all three of them. The best things in life are shared, right?
It was the first meeting between the company bosses since Ghosn’s shock arrest, and Nissan boss Hiroto Saikawa was beaming following the meeting.
“We were able to confirm that the three of us would take the lead, which was excellent.” — Hiroto Saikawa, Chief Executive Officer, Nissan Motor Company
In further comments made by Saikawa to Bloomberg, the Japanese auto boss said that the three Alliance members were “completely aligned on direction” and that overall, the first meeting was “extremely good.”
It’s hard to explain just how great a vacuum has been left by Ghosn, the only figure in the automotive industry to simultaneously chair & manage three individual companies, while also sitting as the head of the unifying Alliance. His responsibilities have been described in the past as Herculean, and the execution of it all was said to be something only Ghosn, nicknamed ‘Mr. 7-11’ for his punishing personal work hours, could manage.
“Over the past few days, the Board of Directors for Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor Co., and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation have all – individually and collectively – emphatically reiterated their strong commitment to the Alliance. The Alliance is not national, but global, and requires not a few individuals but our entire team to deliver. We are confident that we can rely even more on the Alliance, based on solid foundations built by the dedication of all since 1999.” – Joint Statement, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
Mitsubishi & Nissan were quick to strip Ghosn of his chairmanships, while Renault has placed COO Their Bollore as interim boss while the allegations against Ghosn play out. The 64-year old was arrested along with Nissan director Greg Kelly as they disembarked a Nissan company jet at Haneda Airport, and face charges for conspiring to under-declare Ghosn’s remuneration, as well as defrauding the company via a Dutch investment vehicle that instead diverted funds to purchase, renovate, and maintain luxury properties for Ghosn around the globe.
Stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
