Makoto Uchida
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined Nissho Iwai in April 1991 and moved to Nissan Motor in October 2003. Thirteen years after joining mid-career, he became Senior Vice President in November 2016 and Executive Vice President in April 2018. It was 16 years from moving to Nissan to becoming President, less than half the 40 years taken by his predecessor Hiroto Saikawa. The largest shareholder was Renault, with a 43.4% stake in the fiscal year ended March 2016.
Selection
In December 2019 he succeeded Hiroto Saikawa as Representative Executive Officer, President and CEO. During his predecessor's tenure, Carlos Ghosn had been arrested in November 2018 and removed as Chairman by the board on the 22nd. In the fiscal year ended March 2019, the year before, net sales were ¥11,574.2 billion and operating income ¥318.2 billion, down 60% over three years from ¥793.3 billion in FY ended March 2016. The appointment appears to have entrusted the rebuilding of governance and the recovery of earnings to a mid-career-hire Executive Vice President.
Initiatives
In the fiscal year ended March 2021, the year after he took office, results fell to an operating loss of ¥150.7 billion and a net loss of ¥448.6 billion, but operating income recovered to ¥568.7 billion in FY ended March 2024. In July 2023 Nissan concluded a new alliance agreement with Renault including capital arrangements, and Renault's stake fell from 43.4% to around 15%. Against production capacity of 5 million units, actual output was 3.2 million, and company-wide utilization had fallen to 64%. In the three-way integration talks with Honda and Mitsubishi Motors announced in December 2024, Nissan objected that a share-exchange plan making it a wholly owned subsidiary would not let it keep its autonomy, and the talks were withdrawn on February 13, 2025.
Career
Career
Nissho Iwai
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1991 | Joined |
Nissan Motor
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Oct 2003 | Joined |
| Nov 2016 | Managing Executive Officer |
| Apr 2018 | Senior Managing Executive Officer |
| Dec 2019 | Representative Corporate Executive Officer, President and CEO |
| Feb 2020 | Director |
| Apr 2025 | Stepped down as President |