Does it seem like there are a lot of Nissan refugees joining Hyundai these days?
Jose Muñoz, the 15-year Nissan veteran leading Hyundai's North American operations, now has five former Nissan or Renault Nissan Alliance executives in key roles with the Korean automaker:
1. Randy Parker, vice president of sales, Hyundai Motor America
2. Rob Grafton, executive director, Hyundai Motor America
3. Eugene Litvinov, director of business acceleration, Hyundai Motor America
4. Claudia Marquez, CEO, Hyundai Motor de Mexico
5. Dana White, chief communications officer, Hyundai Motor North America
But the confluence of former Nissan-ers is little more than a coincidence, Muñoz said, noting moves such as hiring Mark del Rosso from Audi and promoting Erwin Raphael internally.
"Where you come from is not the key point," he said.
"The only element that drives our decision is the performance, profiles, experience, the willingness to join the project and share the vision."
