Japanese vehicle manufacturer Nissan announced on Monday that Nissan South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa MD Mike Whitfield has been appointed MD of Nissan Motor Egypt.

He will, however, also serve as chairperson of Nissan in Africa South.

Whitfield will be based in Cairo and his appointment will be effective from June 20.

Shinkichi Izumi, currently the deputy MD at Nissan South Africa, replaces Whitfield as MD.

Izumi joined Nissan in 2001 and has held various roles in sales, marketing and corporate planning.  

Before joining South Africa last year, he was based at Nissan’s Japanese headquarters, working within Nissan’s Asia and Oceania region. He also has experience within the global Datsun function.

Kohei Maeda, who was appointed Nissan Motor Egypt MD in April 2018, is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.

“Nissan has a plan for rapid and sustainable growth in Africa,” says Nissan Africa, Middle East and India region chairperson Peyman Kargar.

“We were the first to assemble cars in Nigeria and our ambition is to lead the way in developing automotive manufacturing on the continent.”

With a growing middle class, and rapidly increasing demand, Nissan views Africa as the last frontier for global automakers.

“The appointments announced today will drive performance in key African markets,” notes Kargar.

“Mike and Shinkichi both have extensive market knowledge and diverse experience within the auto industry. They will bring clear leadership and a strong customer focus to deliver growth and business performance.”

Whitfield is a former president of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa and vice president of the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers.

He joined Nissan in 1981 as a marketing trainee. Since then, he has held a variety of senior positions in the company.

Nissan posted a record market share in South Africa of more than 10% in the last financial year.