Vila is a 30-year Nissan veteran with extensive experience in sales and marketing in leading roles both at regional headquarters and markets, including among others Nissan Netherlands and Nissan Nordics, as well as sales and network operations for Nissan in Europe.
Prior to this appointment, he was divisional vice president of marketing and sales for Nissan Europe, and before that, he was leading Asia and Oceania region as senior vice president of sales and marketing.
He said he was looking forward to his new appointment.
“Africa is an important and strategic market for Nissan and presents many opportunities in the years to come,” he said. “We have a strong local presence and I’m sure we will continue to harness that expertise to deliver exceptional products and services for our African customers.”
Paiva is leaving Nissan after 11 years with the company, which has included strategic roles in North America and latterly Nissan Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania region where he played an instrumental role. Under his leadership, multiple new models were successfully launched across the region including Magnite and the iconic Patrol. Paiva is returning to the Renault Group, where he was before joining Nissan.
Reflecting on his time overseeing Africa for Nissan, Paiva paid tribute to the management of Nissan Africa for their skilful handling of different challenges across the continent in the last year. The continent, he said, held a very special place in his heart and in Nissan’s strategies as it was the world’s last great automotive frontier.
“Nissan Africa is now well positioned with a solid organization and a clear brand strategy, underpinned by a unified product lineup for the entire continent. Nissan is ready to capture the continent’s growth being the only OEM with a strong industrial footprint with fully owned manufacturing plants in Egypt and South Africa, as well as assembly operations in Ghana and Nigeria,” he added.
