Nissan India appoints Rakesh Srivastava as MD

Japanese automaker Nissan on Thursday said it has appointed Rakesh Srivastava as Managing Director of its Indian operations. Srivastava will report to Sinan Ozkok, president of Nissan India Operations.

Nissan sells a range of models in India including Kicks and Terrano SUVs. It also sells models under the Datsun brand. “With his rich experience and deep understanding of the Indian market, I am confident he will strengthen our sales and marketing functions and deliver our customer-centric strategy,” Ozkok said in a statement.

Srivastava joins Nissan from JSW Group where he worked as Director, in charge of electric vehicle development. Prior to that, Srivastava has held senior management positions at Hyundai Motor India and Maruti Suzuki. Nissan’s leadership in technology and innovation will be a key driver and differentiator towards delivering value and aspiration to customers in this competitive market, Srivastava added.

The company has been struggling with leadership in its Indian operations. In June this year, Thomas Kuehl resigned as President of Nissan India after taking over the responsibility in October 2017. Last year, Jerome Saigot had resigned as Managing Director for Indian operations to pursue a career outside the group.