Renault’s Chairman Interviews Nissan CEO Candidates

Three finalist candidates to become CEO at Nissan Motor Co. have been personally interviewed by Renault SA Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard, sources tell Reuters.

Senard (pictured), represents Renault’s 43% voting stake in the Japanese carmaker and is a member of the Nissan board’s nominating committee. Reuters’ sources say the candidates are:

• Yasuhiro Yamauchi, 63, Nissan’s chief operating officer, who has been serving as acting CEO following the resignation of CEO Hiroto Saikawa last month
• Jun Seki, 58, the former head of Nissan’s China operations who has been leading the company’s restructuring efforts
• Ashwani Gupta, 49, a former Renault executive who currently serves as chief operating officer of Nissan’s Mitsubishi Motors affiliate

The choice will be difficult. Nissan and Renault want to strengthen their 20-year-old alliance, but each partner has a different agenda for doing so. The alliance has been shaken by the arrest last November of Carlos Ghosn, who was chairman of both companies and the alliance itself at the time, and Nissan’s fading financial strength.

Nissan holds a 15% nonvoting stake in Renault and wants to reach a more balanced cross-ownership arrangement. The company also seeks more business independence from Renault.

The French company has resisted any change in the partnership’s equity structure. The French government, which owns 15% of Renault with double voting rights, also has opposed any move that would diminish its ability to protect jobs in France.