Andy Palmer, the car-guy chief planning officer at Nissan Motor Corp. once tipped as a possible future CEO, is leaving the company to head another carmaker.
Nissan did not say where Palmer, 51, was heading. But a source familiar with the move said he will return to his home country to lead British luxury sports car maker Aston Martin. His departure is effectively immediately.
Palmer is widely considered to be the most powerful Brit in the global car industry.
In 2012, he was ranked as number one in Auto Express’s ‘Top 50 Most Influential British People in the Global Automotive Business 2012′ list and was selected to be in the magazine’s Hall of Fame.