Thierry Sabbagh will take on the role of president of Nissan Saudi Arabia from April 1st 2022, the Japanese manufacturer has confirmed.
Sabbagh is expected to combine the role with his position as managing director of Nissan Middle East, and work alongside current managing director of Nissan Saudi Arabia, Bader El Houssami
He will, “lead the business strategy and performance for the Nissan brand in the Saudi market, while Sabbagh continues to spearhead 10 other Middle East markets as Managing Director,” explained Nissan.
Sabbagh is an industry veteran with a deep and diverse understanding of corporate and automotive sectors, and brings over two decades of comprehensive experience in sales, marketing, brand, planning and business development operations across MENA, it added in a statement.
“I am pleased to take on the role of president for Saudi Arabia and look forward to working with our leadership in this important market to continue growing our presence in the Middle East and take our operations in the region from strength to strength,” said Sabbagh.
“We remain committed to Nissan’s corporate purpose of enriching people’s lives with our products and technologies, towards realising our ambition of being recognized as the most trusted brand in the region among our customers, partners and employees.”
Sabbagh first joined Nissan in 2018 as director of sales, driving the sales performance for the brand across the Gulf, Levant, and North Africa markets, and has been leading the Middle East market as managing director since 2019, driving operational excellence and realising the Nissan NEXT business transformation goals in the region to foster sustainable business growth, building on the brand’s heritage of 70 years in the Gulf and wider Middle East.
In his new scope, he will continue to report to Joni Paiva, divisional VP of Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania.
Paiva commented: “The Middle East continues to be a region of opportunity for Nissan. We have been growth partners in the market for almost 70 years now, which gives us a deep understanding and appreciation of our customers’ needs, as well as a strong bond within the region itself. We are confident that Thierry will continue to build on our success in the region and foster strong collaborations to ensure both operational excellence and customer satisfaction across our markets.”
