Former Vauxhall boss James Taylor takes MD role at rival car brand

James Taylor, the former boss of Stellantis-owned Vauxhall, who spent more than 20 years with the brand before leaving the company last month, has secured the managing director role at a rival car brand.

Taylor has been recruited by Nissan to head national sales in the UK.

He will step into the managing director role that was previously occupied by Diana Torres, who was appointed Nissan GB's managing director only one year ago after Andrew Humberstone, who held the role since 2020, got a promotion to head Nissan's Oceania region.

At her appointment in March 2024, Torres said she was delighted to be back in the UK, where she had held her first Nissan post 12 years previously, and she looked forward to working with her team and dealers through a period of significant change in the industry which will need a culture of collaboration, partnership and innovation to ensure continued growth and success.

Taylor started his career with Vauxhall in 1997 on its undergraduate scheme and over the past 25 years has held senior commercial roles in sales and fleet, culminating in his appointment of MD at Vauxhall in 2022.