CHOSEN BECAUSE: 

In May, Steve Milette took over from Joni Paiva as president of Nissan Canada, the first Canadian to lead the automaker in this country. Milette, 46, formerly Nissan Canada’s sales chief, has more than 20 years of automotive experience. 

He promises stability for the automaker moving forward, following six consecutive years of growth in new-vehicle sales that peaked in 2018. As a result, Milette sees little reason to shake things up.

Still, despite a decline in sales so far this year, Milette says Nissan looks to increase market share by increasing retail volume in its dealership network. Nissan Canada, he said, wants “pure growth in the right areas.” 

IN HIS OWN WORDS: 

“When you’ve got 20-plus years in the industry and you’ve sort of prepared for this all your life, it’s an honour when you do get there. It really was an honour when Joni shared the vision and the news with me. When you understand the other people within the company or elsewhere within Nissan, there’s a lot of great talent.... It’s really humbling to be in that lineage, if you will.”