Automotive News Names Three Nissan Executives to Top Women Leaders List

Nov 12, 2015

“With an ever-increasing number of female leaders, particularly in STEM careers, women are redefining the automotive industry,” said José Muñoz, executive vice president, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., and chairman, Nissan North America. “We are honored and humbled to have inspiring, thought-provoking women like Diane, Sonia, and Rebecca within the Nissan family. These women are outstanding examples for the next generation of female corporate leaders to look up to.”

Automotive News published their 2015 “100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry” list which comes out once every five years and honors the top female executives at automakers, dealerships, and suppliers. This year’s list features three Nissan executives, Rebecca Barker Vest, Diane Allen and Sonia Rief.

Rebecca Barker Vest is vice president of purchasing for Nissan North America (NNA). Her job responsibilities include purchasing project management, supplier quality assurance, supplier relations, and overseeing all purchasing activities NNA.

Diane Allen is the senior design manager at Nissan Design America (NDA). She is responsible for managing design programs, which range from advanced exploratory work to production vehicle design. She had a significant hand in managing the design development of the new TITAN full-size truck. She also holds a number of patents for her work and several design awards. This year marks the fourth time Diane has been honored on this list.

Last but not least is Sonia Rief. She is the director of Vehicle Program Management and the regional chief vehicle engineer at the Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA) where she oversees the Nissan Rogue. Her typical tasks include delivering vehicle changes that meet program requirements for quality, cost and timing on the Nissan Rogue as well as overseeing the planning and evaluation of development activities from product concept to launch for all U.S. manufactured models.

Source: http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa/releases/three-nissan-executives-named-to-the-100-leading-women-in-the-north-american-auto-industry-list-from-automotive-news