Nissan defections reignite questions about future CEO

TOKYO, Sept 21  (AFP): A string of defections by top Nissan executives is reigniting longstanding questions about who will succeed chief executive Carlos Ghosn, the man widely credited with reinventing Japan's number-two automaker.
Speculation about Nissan's future hit a fever pitch earlier this month after the resignation of Andy Palmer, a widely respected Ghosn lieutenant, who took up the top job at British sports car maker Aston Martin.
That followed the July departure of Johan De Nysschen, who led Nissan's Infiniti luxury brand, to become the head of General Motors' Cadillac unit, while Carlos Tavares quit the Renault-Nissan alliance last year to run French rival PSA Peugeot Citroen.
"It's a loss for Nissan-they'll be hard to replace, especially Palmer," said Christopher Richter, an auto analyst for brokerage CLSA in Tokyo.
The resignations brought into focus renewed concerns about who Ghosn would install at the top when he decides to step down from Nissan and his dual role as head of Renault, following a management reorganisation last year.
The 60-year-old executive has only said that the decision was up to shareholders, stoking questions about whether the opaque timeline led possible successors to dust off their resume and try their hands elsewhere.