Nissan has taken direct control and ownership of its sales operations in Turkey as the Japanese car maker pursues an ambitious growth strategy in the country. Following the approval of regulatory authorities shares in Nissan Otomotiv A.S. (NOAS) were transferred to Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in a friendly acquisition from the previous owner, Sumitomo Corporation. Service to customers will be unaffected, according to the automaker.

Nissan is also announcing the appointment of Sinan Özkök as the managing director of its operations in Turkey.

“Sinan Özkök will leverage his 22 years of experience to drive Nissan’s growth in Turkey,” said Christian Mardrus, chairman of Nissan’s Africa, Middle East and India region, and senior vice president. “Nissan is aiming to become the leading Japanese brand in Turkey, which is already one of the twenty biggest car markets in the world. We see demand for cars in Turkey growing to a million units per year.”

Özkök joins Nissan from the company’s Alliance partner Renault. He started his career at Oyak-Renault Bursa in 1993 and then worked at the headquarters of Oyak Renault for four years before moving to Renault SAS in France in 2001. He returned to Turkey in 2007.

Since then he has worked in several leadership positions, including Renault & Dacia Sales and Network Director, where he managed the largest dealership network in Turkey.
Özkök’s appointment was effective October 1. He was introduced to the Nissan team in Turkey by Samir Cherfan, managing director of Nissan Middle East, to whom Özkök will report.