Thomas will be based at Nissan’s headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, and will report directly to CEO Hiroto Saikawa.
Thomas joined GE Global in 2015 and managed digital and information technology initiatives for all markets outside the U.S.
Prior to joining GE Global, he held a number of key positions at companies such as Vodafone India Ltd., Citi and Ernst & Young LLP.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2015, the company sold more than 5.4 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 12.2 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world’s best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF.
Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: ASEAN & Oceania; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America. Nissan has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and Mitsubishi Motors since 2016 under the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
Meanwhile, the Nissan brand has been named one of the world’s most valuable in 2017 by the leading consultancy Interbrand. Nissan ranks 39th in Interbrand’s annual Best Global Brands study, released today.
The study estimates the value of the Nissan brand at $11.534 billion. Last year, Nissan ranked 43rd with an estimated brand value of $11.066 billion.
In the study, Interbrand cites Nissan’s actions to improve brand value, centered around the company’s Nissan Intelligent Mobility strategy. It also singles out the customer benefits Nissan has delivered, such as its autonomous driving technologies and electric vehicles. Interbrand has recognized Nissan as one of the world’s most valuable brands for seven straight years.
According to astatement, the recognition particularly reflects Nissan’s strengthened focus on Nissan Intelligent Mobility in the past year, in which the company launched new products featuring the e-POWER series hybrid system and ProPILOT single-lane autonomous driving technology.
Nissan also showcased Nissan Intelligent Mobility at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2017. On Sept. 6, Nissan unveiled the new Nissan LEAF, the second generation of the world’s best-selling electric car.
“Brand power has been a consistent focus across the company for the last six years, and it’s very encouraging that all our efforts continue to be recognized by this influential brand ranking,” said Roel de Vries, corporate vice president and global head of marketing and brand strategy at Nissan. “The fact that we continue our growth proves that our activity focusing on Nissan Intelligent Mobility and our vision for the future of driving is appealing. With the launch of the new LEAF, we are hoping to see further improvement in our brand.”
