His Majesty King Charles III has bestowed the honorary title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) upon Mr. Makoto Uchida,

President and Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motor Corporation, in recognition of his contributions to UK-Japan business relations.

Mr. Uchida has been at the forefront of the automotive sector’s decarbonization efforts, particularly through the ambitious development and expansion of electric vehicles. His pivotal decision in 2021 to establish Nissan’s global electric vehicle (EV) hub in Sunderland, North East England, has significantly advanced the UK’s progress towards its net zero goals and the nationwide transition to electric vehicles. This initiative includes plans for a £1 billion electric battery gigafactory, followed by an additional £2 billion investment into two new electric vehicle lines at Sunderland, the UK’s largest car manufacturing plant.

Nissan, under Mr. Uchida’s leadership, has engaged in cutting-edge research and development in automotive electrification and autonomous driving in collaboration with UK universities and institutions, notably at the Nissan Technical Centre Europe in Cranfield, Bedfordshire.

Beyond the automotive industry, Nissan has made substantial contributions to education and skills development in the UK, reinforcing people-to-people relations between the two nations. The Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies at the University of Oxford continues to produce leading research across various disciplines, while the Nissan Skills Foundation runs initiatives to inspire children in the North East of England to pursue careers in STEM fields, manufacturing, and engineering. Photo by Akonnchiroll, Wikimedia commons.