In a time an age when so many technological advancements are taking place in the automobile industry, Nissan’s freshly promoted CEO Hiroto Saikawa is expected to bring a rough, tough and no-nonsense leadership attitude to Japan’s second-larger car giant.
This April, 63 year old Saikawa will take over the keys from Carlos Ghosn, who redeemed Nissan from a long cyclone of losses and debt through some intense steps like major cost cutting or breaking some traditional bonds with suppliers .
Saikawa joined Nissan 40 years ago, and is now all set to take over FROM Ghosn. It is important to note that the latter has earned the title of “Le Cost Killer”, thanks to strategies that led to major cost savings for the company he leaded. Saikawa is expected to continue the trend.
In the press conference when Saikawa was appointed the CEO this October, Ghosn mentioned;
There is no difference between what I think and what he thinks.
Also, people who have an experience of working with Saikawa say that he too is an audacious cost-cutter, and will make no compromises in making tough decisions if they are good for the company.
An executive who worked under Saikawa when he was chief competitive officer in 2013 said that Ghosn sees Saikawa as his equal. Another executive who has worked under Saikawa for many years noted that after Ghosn, Saikawa was actually the most decorated man in terms of producing tangible results.
Another executive told Reuters:
He doesn’t hold back. He’s not afraid to embarrass people in a big meeting if he thinks they’re not doing the job. Some people might not like him for that, (but) he’s very strict, very strong and aggressive.
But as long as its for the good for the company, it may be excused. Indeed, it was also mentioned that he has also evolved during the course of his tenure at the company and is less gruff than he used to be.
A major part of Saikawa’s life has been spent managing, purchasing and supplying cars and he was a helping hand to Ghosn when Nissan was breaking up the keiretsu network to reduce costs.
As the chief competitive officer, Saikawa handled the job of cutting manufacturing costs of Nissan cars by efficiently managing raw material procurement, regulatory expenses and planning and development.
Nissan executives have also stated that Saikawa was the key figure behind Nissan’s deal with Mitsubishi Motors Corp, which is the newest entrant in the three way auto alliance. Back in October, Nissan mentioned that they will acquire controlling stakes in Mitsubishi Motors, which is coping from a mileage cheating scandal.
Ghosn will now be spending his time as the Renault’s CEO, and with Mitsubishi Motors turn around whereas Saikawa will take care of more important stuffs like the trading relations with new U.S. administrations, autonomous cars, Britain’s fractious exit from the European Union and tougher vehicle emissions laws. Saikawa, who has previously also been on the board at Renault, and has similar cost cutting instincts, will now be the skipper of Nissan and ensure the quality of its products at an efficient price.
