Steve Milette named president of Nissan Canada Inc., and Joni Paiva appointed vice president of sales and marketing for Nissan’s Africa, Middle East and India region.
Mississauga, Ont. (March 19, 2019) – Nissan today announced a series of senior management appointments in North America intended to strengthen the company’s progress towards meeting targets outlined in the company’s midterm business plan, “M.O.V.E. to 2022.” Effective May 1, 2019, Joni Paiva, currently president, Nissan Canada Inc. (NCI), is promoted to regional vice president, marketing and sales, for Nissan’s Africa, Middle East and India (AMI) region, based in Dubai.
Over the last three years, Paiva has led the Nissan Canada team to record volume and market share, overseen the launch of six all-new models, and further reinforced the dealer network.
“Growing the business in Canada has been very rewarding. I thank the entire team in Canada for their commitment and creativity to drive us to three consecutive years of sales records,” said Paiva. “After living in Canada for three years, I have an affinity for the people here and better understanding of the complexity of the market. Therefore, I am very proud of the Canadian team we have developed, and the fact I will be succeeded by a Canadian, Steve Milette.”
Steve Milette is named president, Nissan Canada, reporting to José Luis Valls, senior vice president, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and chairman, Nissan North America. As president, Milette will have day-to-day responsibility for all Nissan operations in Canada, including sales and marketing, finance, dealer network, product and corporate planning, aftersales, legal, human resources and the captive sales finance company.
Currently, Milette is vice president, sales operations, at Nissan Canada Inc., a position to which he was appointed in July 2017. Prior to his tenure at Nissan Canada, Milette led the sales divisions at Hyundai Auto Canada, Bombardier Transportation North America, and General Motors of Canada Limited. Milette’s promotion represents the first time a Canadian has held the position of president at Nissan Canada Inc.
“The natural leadership ability and deep level of commitment we see in Steve has been essential to Nissan Canada’s growth. Without a doubt, Steve is the best person to lead Nissan Canada, he will keep the team on track to continue the sales evolution and further enhance the customer experience,” concluded Paiva. Effective April 1, 2019, Trevor Longley, currently director of aftersales and quality assurance at Nissan Canada Inc., is promoted to director, aftersales Nissan North America Inc. Longley will be based in Franklin, TN, reporting to fellow Canadian Mike Soutter, vice president, aftersales, Nissan North America Inc. Longley joined Nissan Canada Inc. in January 2016, and has since driven significant growth in the after sales division, leading the team to receiving the 2017 Global Nissan Aftersales Award – an annual designation for one outstanding market.
Longley’s successor is Andrew Harkness, currently general manager of Central Region at Nissan Canada Inc. In his new role, effective April 1, 2019, Harkness will be responsible for aftersales (parts, tires, accessories, and service) operations including business planning, sales & marketing, parts logistics (supply, pricing, and distribution including three Parts Distribution Centers), quality assurance, warranty & Techline across Canada. The promotion for Harkness adds to a list of progressive positions in sales, marketing management and dealer operations since he joined NCI in April 2011.
Nissan North America also announced a number of organizational changes, which can be found
