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In 1928, Yoshisuke Aikawa left his mining career to become Nissan's president.
He renamed the company Nihon Sangyo (Nissan) and built it into a major conglomerate through strategic acquisitions.
He founded Nissan Motor Co. in Yokohama in 1933.
By 1937 it had become Asia's largest Japanese-owned car manufacturer.
Under Masasuke Murakami's leadership in the 1930s, Nissan went from a small manufacturer into one of the main automakers in Japan.
In 1937, Nissan was producing over 10,000 vehicles annually.
Murakami also led Nissan toward international markets, initiating modest but strategic vehicle exports.
In 1935, Yutaka "Mr. K" Katayama joined Nissan and later entered America.
He launched two groundbreaking vehicles: the Datsun 510 sedan in 1967 and the Datsun 240Z sports car in 1970.
Through targeted marketing and compelling products, he turned Datsun from an unknown Japanese import into a major force in U.S. auto sales.
Takashi Ishihara was Nissan's president from 1957-1973
His 1957 export program pushed Nissan into the top 10 U.S. import brands by 1964.
He built Nissan's first factories in America and Britain, including the landmark 1984 UK plant.
President Tsuji rescued Nissan from bankruptcy in 1994-1996.
When Nissan's debt hit $32 billion against $12.6 billion in equity, he shut down the company's oldest Japanese plant and cut 5,000 jobs.
These cuts, combined with a stronger dollar, transformed Nissan's $3.2 billion loss into a $500 million profit.
As Nissan's CEO, Hanawa orchestrated the 1999 Renault-Nissan Alliance, selling a 37% stake to Renault and recruiting Carlos Ghosn as COO.
During his 42-year career at Nissan, Hanawa witnessed the company's decline in the 1990s and backed Ghosn's turnaround plan to reduce debt and cut costs.
Carlos Ghosn rebuilt Nissan from near-bankruptcy to profitability between 1999-2002.
He cut 21,000 jobs, closed five plants, and slashed Nissan's $20 billion debt by 69%.
The company's operating margin reached 4.9% in 2000, but Ghosn's leadership ended with his 2018 arrest for financial misconduct.
Hiroto Saikawa served as Nissan's CEO from 2017 to 2019.
Before becoming CEO, he led Nissan's purchasing operations and regional management in the Americas and Europe.
In 2018, he publicly criticized his predecessor Carlos Ghosn after Ghosn's arrest for financial misconduct.
Saikawa resigned in September 2019 when an internal audit found he had received $900,000 in overpayments through manipulated compensation documents.
Makoto Uchida became Nissan's CEO in December 2019, replacing Hiroto Saikawa after the arrest of former chairman Carlos Ghosn for financial fraud.
Uchida strengthened Nissan's partnership with Renault and promised to rebuild trust through transparent leadership.
He targeted specific problems: aggressive sales targets and a workplace culture that discouraged frank discussion.
In 2023, Uchida faced accusations that he had ordered surveillance of COO Ashwani Gupta, who had criticized Nissan's new Renault agreement.
These allegations have deepened Nissan's leadership crisis and complicated Uchida's efforts to stabilize the company.
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