Former Nissan Oz MD heads to Vantec

FORMER Nissan Australia managing director and CEO Shinya Hannya, who left Australia two years ago to become a corporate vice-president responsible for general overseas markets (including Australia), will be leaving the Japanese manufacturer amid a raft of recent changes to its senior global management team.

In a press release, Nissan said Mr Hannya will be proposed as a managing executive officer of the Japanese-based global logistics service provider Vantec Corporation.

Established in 1954 as Yokohama Yuso Co Ltd – a wholly owned subsidiary of Nissan Motor Co – the company changed its name to Vantec Corporation in 1997 and became independent from Nissan in 2001 when the car-maker sold its 67 per cent controlling share.

Mr Hannya has been replaced as head of Asia/Oceania and general overseas market planning by Toru Hasegawa, who most recently served as managing director of Nissan Motor Thailand Co.

In other changes at Nissan, all of which took place on April 1, senior vice-president in charge of Nissan's zero-emissions unit Andy Palmer has taken charge of corporate planning and the company's battery business, while CFO Joseph Peter adds responsibility for control, budget and accounting.

Left: Mazda's Martin Benders.

Nissan Motor Co president and CEO Carlos Ghosn said the changes would "further sharpen our management focus". He added: "These appointments also reflect our commitment to deliver innovative, technology-driven, affordable solutions, including zero-emission mobility."Meanwhile, former Mazda Australia national marketing manager Martin Benders, who has worked as general manager of Mazda's global marketing division in Japan since 2007, has become the staff manager of the same business unit.

The deputy general manager of the division, Shusuke Koreeda, takes on the role of general manager, while retaining his additional responsibilities as general manager of the support and management department for North America and Europe.

Mazda Australia has advised that Mr Benders' new role is essentially a "holding position" and that an announcement on his next move within the company will be made in the coming weeks.