Nissan expands Thierry Sabbagh’s regional leadership to include Nissan India, alongside Middle East, KSA and CIS

Manal Saleh

·        Thierry Sabbagh’s remit expands with the addition of Nissan India, while he continues to lead Middle East, KSA and CIS for Nissan and INFINITI

·        Marketing & Sales function reorganized to bring decision-making closer to customers and drive agility

·        Product Planning and Marketing functions combined at regional level to streamline concept-to-launch processes

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (12 January 2026): Nissan has announced a series of senior management changes in its Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania (AMIEO) region, designed to strengthen delivery of the Re:Nissan transformation plan and enhance operational efficiency, speed and customer focus.

Effective 1 January 2026, Thierry Sabbagh’s responsibilities have been expanded to include Nissan India, as he becomes Divisional Vice President and President, Middle East, KSA, CIS and India – Nissan and INFINITI. The expanded scope reflects Nissan’s focus on maintaining leadership continuity across established markets while strengthening governance, execution and growth momentum in India as a strategic priority within the AMIEO region.

India is central to Nissan’s ambitions in 2026, as the brand accelerates its resurgence in the market. Building on this momentum, Nissan India will introduce three new models over the next 14 to 16 months, including Gravite, Tekton and a 7-seater C-SUV, while continuing to expand its customer reach through a growing dealer network with 250 touchpoints across the country.

Commenting on the announcement, Massimiliano Messina, Nissan AMIEO Chairperson, said: “The Re:Nissan plan is about transformation and customer-centricity. By empowering regional leadership, we are creating a more agile organization that can respond quickly to market dynamics and deliver competitive, compelling products. I am confident these changes will strengthen our performance and supercharge our progress in 2026 and I wish Thierry every success in his new role.”

Thierry Sabbagh, Divisional Vice President and President, Middle East, KSA, CIS and India – Nissan and INFINITI, added: “I am honored to take on this expanded role at a pivotal time for Nissan. The Middle East and India are dynamic, fast-growing and continuously evolving markets, with significant opportunities ahead. I look forward to working closely with our talented teams and partners across the region to build on our strong foundations, accelerate growth and deliver meaningful value for our customers.”

Effective 1 January 2026, the new AMIEO Marketing & Sales structure will bring decision-making closer to customers while integrating key functions to drive agility and competitiveness.

Jordi Vila assumes the role of Divisional Vice President Nissan Europe and Africa, AMIEO Aftersales and Brand, expanding his responsibilities to include Marketing and Sales Europe, Aftersales and Brand.

At the regional level, Nissan will integrate Product Planning and Marketing into a single product-focused organization to streamline processes from concept to launch. Clíodhna Lyons will lead this new organization as Regional Vice President Product, Services and Marketing Strategy, overseeing advanced planning, product competitiveness and lifecycle management.

Additionally, Guillaume Barbet, Regional Vice President Sales Planning and Operations, will expand his remit to cover all planning activities, pricing, competitiveness and operational efficiency.

These changes reinforce Nissan’s commitment to delivering innovative products and services with greater speed and precision, ensuring alignment with evolving customer needs across the diverse markets within AMIEO.

Nissan also announced the departure of Leon Dorssers, Senior Vice President, Chief of Commercial Operations, Nissan AMIEO. Having joined Nissan as a trainee in Nissan Europe Amsterdam in 1992, Dorssers went on to hold a number of leadership roles in France, Spain, Belgium, America and Japan, before becoming AMIEO Senior Vice President Marketing and Sales in 2021.

Following a series of exciting product launches across AMIEO in 2025, Nissan has another strong year ahead in the region with more new products and technologies on the way. This includes the India launches of GRAVITE and TEKTON in early 2026, as well as the next-generation Nissan Navara arriving in showrooms in Oceania, and the new electric Nissan Juke launching in Europe.

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