Nissan Canada’s director of marketing and Infiniti Canada’s managing director will be swapping positions as of April 1 to provide fresh perspectives and reinvigorate the automaker’s business in Canada.
Steve Rhind, Nissan Canada’s current director of marketing, will become the managing director of its luxury brand Infiniti in Canada – taking over from Adam Paterson. Rhind has held the marketing director post since June 2014. Paterson, who has been the managing director of Infiniti Canada since September 2017, will take Rhind’s position as director of marketing on the Nissan brand in Canada.
“This happens at an opportune time as we prepare to offer Canadians the freshest vehicle lineup among our key competitors,” Steve Milette, president of Nissan Canada said in a press release issued.
Nissan ranked seventh in terms of volume of Canadian sales among automakers last year between its two brands; however, like most automotive companies, it has been struggling the last two years after nearly a decade of record sales, with sales falling by 7.9% in 2019. The Nissan brand was ranked sixth, brand saw a drop of 9.4% on the year as a whole, with Infiniti sales falling by 10.7%. In February, Nissan sales were down 10.5% year-over-year, with Infiniti sales down by 30%.
“In their new roles, Steve and Adam will be able to apply their proven leadership skills and expertise with a fresh perspective to further revitalize NCI’s business,” Milette said in the release.
In its recent marketing, the Nissan brand has been touting its vehicle’s technological features – like Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – as well as continuing to emphasize its host of safety features , such as those in its Intelligent Mobility platform.
In his new role, Rhind will be responsible for all aspects of Infiniti Canada, including marketing, sales, product planning and after-sales, the release notes.
Paterson will be tasked with the planning and the inputting of all marketing communications and media for national, retail, digital, customer relationship management, sponsorships and auto shows. He will also be responsible for the daily market actions on Nissan products as well as product planning.