Ashwani Gupta, currently COO of Mitsubishi Motors Corp, has been appointed COO of Nissan Nissan has appointed the head of its Chinese business Senior Vice Preident Makoto Uchida as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), according to media reports. Ashwani Gupta, currently COO of Mitsubishi Motors Corp, has been appointed as representative executive officer and the COO of Nissan. The appointment, it is being said, will be effective no later than January 1. "We expect Uchida to lead the company as one team, immediately focus on the recovery of the business and revitalize the company," Nissan's chair of the board of directors Yasushi Kimura was quoted as saying in a statement. The company has been facing a crisis after its former Chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested after allegations of financial misconduct, and the recent resignation of company's previous chief, Hiroto Saikawa, after admitting that he and other Nissan executives were overpaid as part of a stock-related payment plan.