Hiroto Saikawa

Hiroto Saikawa (西川 廣人, Saikawa Hiroto) is the former president and former CEO of Nissan. [1][2][3]

Hiroto Saikawa
Born (1953-11-14) November 14, 1953
Japan
NationalityJapanese
Alma materUniversity of Tokyo School of Economics (1977)
OccupationPresident and CEO of Nissan Motors

Career

Hiroto Saikawa joined Nissan in 1977 after graduating from University.[4] In October 2000, he became General Manager of Purchasing Strategy Dept, and in April 2001, he became Executive General Manager of Renault Nissan Purchasing Organization. In April 2003, he was named Senior Vice President, in April 2005 he was elevated to Executive Vice President, and in June 2005 he was added to the board of directors.[4]

Saikawa has been Chief Executive Officer and President of Nissan since April 1, 2017. Prior to this, he served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. from November 1, 2016, to April 1, 2017, and as the Chief Competitive Officer of Nissan since April 2014.[2]

In 2019, Saikawa told reporters that he and several other Nissan executives received excess compensation.[5] Saikawa received about $440,000 in excess compensation, which he blamed on a company error.[6] In September 2019, Saikawa resigned as the Chief Executive Officer of Nissan.[7]

Arrest of Carlos Ghosn

Following the arrest of Carlos Ghosn, his erstwhile mentor and Chairman of Nissan and Renault, Saikawa expressed deep disappointment, noting that too much power was concentrated in the hands of one individual. The scandal, involving unreported future post retirement compensation and improper use of company funds by Ghosn, was described by Saikawa as a "negative outcome of the long regime of Mr. Ghosn".[8] It should however be noted that, to this date, Mr. Ghosn has not been proven guilty of any wrongdoing since no trial has taken place yet.[9]

When he was asked whether Ghosn was a "tyrant" or a "charismatic leader", Hiroto Saikawa refused to answer.[10] Saikawa said that Nissan's board will meet Thursday, November 22, 2018, to vote on a proposal to have Ghosn dismissed, focusing on minimizing the impact of the shakeup on the company and its employees as well as reducing its reliance on a single leading executive.[11] In the months leading to Ghosn's arrest, Ghosn had indicated he planned to announce at a late-November meeting to have Saikawa replaced, due to poor profit and very weak sales performance as well as quality issues.[12]


Personal life

Saikawa has kept his personal life private, and few details are known. He graduated from Tokyo University and is married.[13]

References
  1. "Nissan reports preventive steps to government in wake of data fabrication scandal". japantimes.co.jp. The Japan Times.
  2. "Executive Profile Hiroto Saikawa". Bloomberg News.
  3. Business, Jill Disis and Sherisse Pham, CNN. "Nissan CEO resigns after admitting he was overpaid". CNN. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
  4. "Hiroto Saikawa - Nissan Online".
  5. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/09/07/business/corporate-business/chief-nissan-investigator-ceos-excess-pay-set-quit-carmaker/
  6. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/business/nissan-saikawa-compensation.html#:~:text=they%20were%20entitled.-,Mr.,blamed%20on%20a%20company%20error.
  7. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/09/10/business/corporate-business/nissan-ousts-ceo-pay-scandal-carmakers-turmoil-deepens/
  8. "Arrest of Nissan's Ghosn in financial probe stuns Japan". ABC News.
  9. "Carlos Ghosn may be guilty – but the Japanese criminal justice system is in the dock too". The Independent.
  10. "Nissan's Drama Looks a Lot Like a Palace Coup". Bloomberg News.
  11. "The Latest: Renault board to meet after Ghosn arrest". Associated Press.
  12. Kyodo News staff (10 December 2018). "Ghosn planned to oust CEO before his arrest: report". Japan Today. Archived from the original on 11 December 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  13. Shirouzu, Norihiko; Shiraki, Maki (2018-11-23). "Nissan's Hiroto Saikawa, a hard-nosed leader, takes center stage after Ghosn's ouster". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
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