As President and Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motor Corporation, Mr Uchida has been a leader in efforts to decarbonise the automotive sector through the ambitious development and expansion of electric vehicles. Mr Uchida's decision in 2021 to locate Nissan's global electric vehicle (EV) hub in Sunderland, in the North East of England, has played a critical role in helping the UK government to meet its net zero goals and in supporting the UK's transition to electric vehicles. This has included plans to build a first £1 billion electric battery gigafactory in the UK, followed by a further £2 billion investment into two new electric vehicles lines in Sunderland, the UK's largest car plant.
Nissan has also carried out cutting edge R&D in collaboration with UK universities and institutions in the fields of automotive electrification and autonomous driving, including at the Nissan Technical Centre Europe in Cranfield, Bedfordshire.
Under Mr Uchida's leadership, Nissan has also continued to make a significant contribution to education and skills development in the UK, supporting our people-to-people relations. The Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies at the University of Oxford continues to develop leading research across a range of disciplines; and the Nissan Skills Foundation runs initiatives to encourage children in the North East of England to develop STEM skills and to take up careers in manufacturing and engineering.
