Biography

Toshiaki Otani is Managing Director of the Alliance Battery Business. He is also Senior Vice President in charge of the Global Zero Emission Business Unit and the Global Battery Business Unit at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

During his more than three decades at Nissan, Otani has worked for Nissan and its affiliates in Japan, Europe, North America and China. He joined Nissan in Japan in 1980, transferring to Nissan Motor Iberica S.A. in July 1995. In 2000, he was appointed as Group General Manager for Parts Purchasing, staying in Purchasing and Purchasing Strategy until April 2003, when he was appointed Vice President, Nissan North America Inc.

Two years later, in July 2005, he moved to China as Vice President of Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd., the joint venture between Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. In April 2007, and alongside his Vice President role, Otani was appointed Managing Director of the Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company.

In April 2010, after nearly five years in China, Otani returned to Japan to take up a role as Corporate Vice President in charge of Nissan’s Global Battery Business before taking his present role two years later. He was also appointed Alliance Managing Director in 2010.

Otani was born on August 14, 1956 and is a graduate of Kyoto University’s Faculty of Economics.