Nissan appoints new president for Saudi Arabia

Thierry Sabbagh

Nissan Motor Company appoints Thierry Sabbagh as President for Nissan Saudi Arabia, Managing Director for Nissan Middle East

Nissan has announced the appointment of Thierry Sabbagh as President of Nissan Saudi Arabia from April 1st 2022, while continuing his position as Managing Director of Nissan Middle East.

In his new scope, Sabbagh will work alongside the current Managing Director of Nissan Saudi Arabia, Bader El Houssami to 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.

An industry veteran with a deep and diverse understanding of corporate and automotive sectors, Sabbagh brings over two decades of comprehensive experience in sales, marketing, brand, planning and business development operations across MENA. 

He 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.

Commenting on his appointment, Sabbagh said: “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.”

“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 holds a bachelor’s degree in Business/Hotel Management in Marketing, from the University of West London and an executive certification in Leadership with Finance from Harvard Business School. He was recently recognized by Forbes Middle East in the Global Meets Local 2021 ranking of the top 50 business leaders in the Middle East.

In his new scope, Thierry Sabbagh will continue to report to Joni Paiva, Divisional Vice President of Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania.

Paiva commented on the announcement, saying: “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.”