• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Nissan has its third top marketer in less than six months.

Tiago Castro has been named senior vice president, U.S. marketing and sales, Nissan and Infiniti, effective Jan. 9.

Castro currently is vice president, Infiniti Americas, overseeing the brand's overall performance in the United States, Canada and Mexico, including strategic direction, planning, operations, retail network and sales and marketing.

His new responsibilities include marketing and sales activities for the Nissan brand in the U.S., while also overseeing the Infiniti business across the Americas.

Allyson Witherspoon, Nissan's chief marketing officer in the U.S., is unaffected by the moves. She will report to Castro in his new senior vice president role, according to a spokesperson.

Castro replaces Michael Soutter, who had left the company, but returned to Nissan in his current role in September after Vinay Shahani resigned for a top marketing job at AT&T.

Nissan did not specify that Soutter was an interim CMO at the time of his appointment.

"Mike is a strong and experienced leader within Nissan who brings a track record of success working with our dealer partners," said Christian Meunier, chairman, Nissan Americas, in a statement at the time. "As we continue to build momentum in the U.S., Mike is the right person to drive our efforts to enhance the Nissan and Infiniti brands, deliver great customer experiences and grow our sales in a competitive market.”

On Tuesday, Nissan Group announced total calendar year 2025 U.S. sales increased 0.2% compared to the prior year. The company also announced total U.S. fourth quarter sales for 2025 decreased 3.7% versus the prior year.

Soutter was quoted in the news release, which made no mention of his impending departure from the automaker. 

Castro joined Nissan North America in 2003 and has experience across a range of functions, including research and development, product planning and program management, along with marketing and sales. 

He worked closely with the Nissan dealer network before his current role. 

"Tiago's energy, extensive background and commitment to excellence will help us continue to build momentum, grow our sales and deliver outstanding customer satisfaction at Nissan and Infiniti," Meunier said in a release. “We thank Mike for leading our marketing and sales efforts during an important transition, and I wish him the best as he heads back into retirement.”

Castro's replacement to lead Infiniti will be announced at a later date, according to the company.