- Position: Vice President, Purchasing, Nissan AMIEO
- Location: Nissan Technical Centre Europe, Cranfield, UK
- Languages Spoken: Tamil, Hindi, English
PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
Saravanan Meyyappan serves as the Vice President of Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania (AMIEO) Purchasing for Nissan, overseeing the procurement of vehicle parts, equipment, facilities, and services across the region. With extensive experience in purchasing, project management, and quality assurance, Saravanan is pivotal in aligning procurement strategies with Nissan’s operational goals.
Saravanan began his career in engineering before transitioning into roles across quality, project management, and purchasing. He has held several key positions since joining the Renault-Nissan Alliance in 2008, including Global Supplier Account Officer and Deputy Vice President of Alliance Purchasing India.
Notable Achievements:
- Successfully led a sourcing programme for a new Datsun model as Purchasing Project Manager in India
- Drove the transition of The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance's purchasing organisation to Nissan AMIEO Purchasing organization
LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY
Drawing on his extensive engineering and procurement expertise, Saravanan is passionate about empowering teams to achieve excellence while fostering inclusive, dynamic supplier relationships. He thrives on integrating diverse regional perspectives to drive forward-thinking solutions, ensuring that Nissan remains agile and competitive in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
Having collaborated with people from various backgrounds around the world, Saravanan sees diversity as a natural part of the Nissan environment. He believes in the power of working together and has witnessed firsthand the positive impact of collaboration in driving innovation and success.
BEHIND THE TITLE
Outside of work, Saravanan enjoys reading about history and politics and can often be found with a book in hand. He also has a passion for badminton and values time spent with his wife and two daughters.
HISTORY
- 2023 - Present: Vice President, AMIEO Purchasing, Nissan
- Oversees procurement strategies for the AMIEO region
- Previous roles:
- 2021 - 2023: Supplier Account Officer, ADAS, Electronic, and Harness Parts – Nissan Japan
- 2020 - 2021: Deputy Vice President, Alliance Purchasing Renault-Nissan , India.
- 2015 - 2020: Asia Supplier Account Manager – Nissan Japan
- 2008 - 2015: Various Roles – Renault-Nissan, India
- 1996 – 2007: Various Roles – Indian automotive Industry
EDUCATION
- 1992-1996: Graduation in Physics and post-graduate diploma in Plastic Technology – Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology.
- B.S Industrial Engineering from BITS, Pilani and Masters in Business Administration
- 2023: Executive Education Program from Wharton University