Nissan restructures its leadership team and expands Thierry Sabbagh’s duties to include India, the Middle East, and the CIS countries

Nissan has announced a series of senior management changes within the AMIEO region, which includes Africa, the Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania, as part of its efforts to enhance the implementation of the Re:Nissan transformation plan, improve operational efficiency, accelerate business and enhance customer focus.

Effective January 1, 2026, Thierry Sabbagh’s regional responsibilities have been expanded to include Nissan India, taking on the role of Divisional Vice President, Head of Nissan and Infiniti for the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, CIS countries and India. This expansion of responsibilities reflects Nissan’s focus on maintaining continuity of leadership in established markets, as well as enhancing governance, execution efficiency and growth momentum in India as a strategic priority within the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania region.

India is a key focus of Nissan’s ambitions in 2026, as the company seeks to accelerate its strong return to the market. Building on this momentum, Nissan India intends to introduce three new models over the next 14 to 16 months, including the Graphite, Tecton and a seven-seat C-segment SUV, while continuing to expand its customer reach through a growing dealer network of 250 touch points across India.

Commenting on the announcement, Massimiliano Messina, Chairman of Nissan AMIEO for Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania, said: “Re:Nissan is all about transformation and putting the customer at the heart. By empowering regional leadership, we are building a more agile organization capable of quickly responding to market dynamics and delivering competitive and attractive products. I am confident that these changes will contribute to strengthening our performance and accelerating our progress in 2026, and I wish Thierry Sabbagh, I wish them all the best in their new positions.”

In the same context, Thierry Sabbagh, division vice president and president of Nissan and Infiniti in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, CIS countries and India, said: “I feel grateful and proud to expand my regional duties to include a strategic market like India at an important stage for us at Nissan. The Middle East and India regions are characterized by high dynamism and rapid growth, which opens broad horizons for the future. I look forward to working closely with our distinguished teams and partners across the region to build on our current successes, accelerate the pace of growth, and provide exceptional value to our customers.”

This new structure of marketing and sales functions in the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania regions will contribute to bringing the decision-making process closer to customers, while consolidating key functions to enhance flexibility and competitiveness.

In a related context, Jordi Villa will assume the position of Division Vice President and President of Nissan Europe and Africa, and responsible for aftersales and brand services within the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania regions, with the scope of his responsibilities expanding to include marketing and sales in Europe, in addition to aftersales and brand services.

At the regional level, Nissan will consolidate product planning and marketing functions into a unified, product-focused structure, with the aim of streamlining operations from concept to launch. Cledna Lyons will lead this new structure as Regional Vice President of Products, Services and Marketing Strategy, where she will oversee advanced planning, product competitiveness and product lifecycle management.

In addition, the duties of Guillaume Barbet, Regional Vice President of Sales Planning and Operations, have expanded to include all planning and pricing activities, enhancing competitiveness and operational efficiency.

These changes reinforce Nissan’s commitment to providing innovative products and services at a faster pace and with greater accuracy, ensuring their alignment with the evolving needs of customers in various and diverse markets within the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania region.

Nissan also announced the departure of Leon Dorsers, senior executive vice president and head of Nissan’s commercial operations within the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania regions. Dorsers joined Nissan as a trainee at Nissan Europe – Amsterdam in 1992, after which he held a number of leadership positions in France, Spain, Belgium, America and Japan, before being appointed Senior Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales in the region in 2021.

Following a series of distinguished product launches in various markets in Africa, the Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania during 2025, Nissan is looking forward to achieving strong results this year in the region with the launch of more new products and technologies. This includes the launch of the “Graphite” and “Tecton” models in India at the beginning of this year, in addition to the arrival of the new generation Nissan “Navara” in showrooms in the Oceania region, and the launch of the new electric version of the Nissan “Juke” in Europe.

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About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd

Nissan is a global automobile manufacturer that sells a full range of cars under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. The company’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan manages operations in four regions: Japan-ASEAN, China, the Americas, Africa, Middle East, India and Europe and Oceania.

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