Nissan's Carlos Ghosn to Receive SAE Foundation's 2007 Manufacturing Leadership Award

WARRENDALE, Pa., May 4 -- The SAE Foundation will present its 2007 Manufacturing Leadership Award to Carlos Ghosn, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., at the annual SAE Foundation Banquet on Thursday, May 24, 2007, at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center.

The Manufacturing Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have made meaningful contributions to the development of the automotive industry. Nominees must have achieved a significant level of success in their manufacturing careers, demonstrated innovation and risk taking, and established a new direction or developed a position that challenged their industry. Nominees must also have made contributions outside the automotive industry, exemplified through community education, philanthropic or government activities.

"I am honored to receive this award from the SAE Foundation, and I accept it on behalf of the 220,000 talented Nissan employees around the world whose performance made this recognition possible," says Mr. Ghosn. "Nissan is a learning company, and we commend the SAE Foundation's mission to promote science and technology education in today's classrooms. By supporting the Foundation's initiatives, we hope to inspire students to create value for generations to come."

Carlos Ghosn

Carlos Ghosn is the president and chief executive officer of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., a global automotive company with 220,000 employees and $83 billion in revenue. Mr. Ghosn joined the company as its chief operating officer in June 1999, became its president in June 2000 and was named chief executive officer in June 2001.

In May 2005, Mr. Ghosn was named president and chief executive officer of Renault S.A. in addition to his current responsibilities at Nissan. As head of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, Mr. Ghosn is responsible for two separate companies with combined annual global sales of 5.9 million vehicles.

Prior to joining Nissan, Mr. Ghosn served as executive vice president of the Renault Group, a position he had held since December 1996. In addition to supervising Renault activities in the Mercosur, he was responsible for advanced research, car engineering and development, car manufacturing, powertrain operations and purchasing.

Before he joined Renault, Mr. Ghosn had worked with Michelin for 18 years. As chairman and chief executive officer of Michelin North America, Mr. Ghosn presided over the restructuring of the company after its acquisition of the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company in 1990. Previously, Mr. Ghosn had worked as the chief operating officer of Michelin's South American activities based in Brazil; as head of research and development for industrial tires in Ladoux, France; and as plant manager in Le Puy, France.

Mr. Ghosn currently serves on the board of directors of Alcoa. Mr. Ghosn was born in Brazil on March 9, 1954. He graduated with engineering degrees from Ecole Polytechnique in 1974 and from Ecole des Mines de Paris in 1978. He and his wife, Rita, have four children.

About the SAE Foundation and Banquet

The annual SAE Foundation Banquet benefits educational programs offered through SAE International for students from grade school through college.

Since 1986, the SAE Foundation has not only supported, but also nurtured students' enthusiasm for science and technology education. Through award winning K-12 Educational Programs, dynamic Collegiate Design Series competitions, and numerous Scholarship and Award Programs, the SAE Foundation builds bridges between corporations and classrooms by giving engineers, school teachers, and students the opportunity to work together and learn from each other.

How to Get Tickets

Tickets can be purchased by calling the SAE Foundation at 724-772-8593.