Abstract

The speaker will share his experience in managing innovation and how this could support the realization of Nissan’s globalization strategy: the Nissan Power 88 – a plan that aims to raise profit margins and worldwide market share of Nissan to 8 percent by fiscal 2016. Concrete examples such as the Nissan Zero Emission Project, Nissan NY Taxi, Hoshin Kanri, and Nissan Diversity Program will be used to illustrate how innovation is being created, appreciated and managed in Nissan.

About the speaker

Dr Andy Palmer received his MSc in Product Engineering from University of Warwick in 1990 and PhD in Management from Cranfield University in 2004. He worked at Rover Group and Automotive Products Limited before he joined Nissan Motor Company Limited in 1991 as business administration manager at the Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE) and ultimately became Deputy Managing Director of NTCE in 2001. He transferred to Japan as Program Director for Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) in 2002. In 2003, he was appointed President of Nissan Motor Light Trucks Company Limited, while retaining his duties as Program Director. He continues to hold this position today. In 2004, Dr Palmer established the LCV business unit within Nissan and he was promoted to Corporate Vice President in charge of the unit in 2005. The LCV business was identified as one of the four breakthroughs under Nissan's three-year Value-Up business plan. He was appointed Senior Vice President and a Member of Nissan’s Executive Committee in 2009. Since 2011, he has become Executive Vice President and Executive Committee member at Nissan. He currently serves as Representative Director of Nissan Light Trucks Company Limited, and is a Member of the Board of Dong Feng Motor Company Limited and Nissan's LCV Joint Venture Companies with Ashok Leyland in India.

Dr Palmer is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He is a Member of Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and a Chartered Manager (Member of Chartered Management Institute). He is also a Guest Professor at University of Tokyo for Agriculture and Technology and in 2010, was conferred an Honorary doctorate of technology from Coventry University.

Free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come first-served basis.

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