Nissan has appointed Allyson Witherspoon as U.S. chief marketing officer. Witherspoon, who held the position less than two years ago, will also retain her current role as corporate VP of global marketing, brand and merchandising for Nissan Motor Co.

Witherspoon replaces Marisstella Marinkovic, who recently left the company. Marinkovic, a former director of marketing operations and strategy at Kia Motor America, joined Nissan in March 2023. Marinkovic’s next role is unclear. 

Witherspoon will report to Vinay Shahani as part of her U.S. responsibilities.

Also read: Allyson Witherspoon takes Nissan to new heights

A Nissan dealer said the key U.S. business will benefit from Witherspoon’s presence in the market.

“Witherspoon is savvy and smart,” a retailer said on the condition of anonymity. “She understands how to get resources from headquarters.”

Witherspoon’s move is part of a wave of executive shuffles as Nissan sales and profitability dive.

“We are at a critical juncture, requiring strong leadership for the brand and in our marketing efforts,” Vinay Shahani, Nissan’s U.S. sales and marketing boss, said in a statement. “Allyson rejoining the U.S. leadership team ... puts us in a strong position to make rapid progress in our efforts to transform Nissan’s image in this critical market for the company.”

Dan Mohnke, Nissan U.S. VP of e-commerce and customer experience, will retire at the end of the year. His responsibilities will shift to Steve Milette, Nissan division VP for dealer network development, customer resources and training.Mohnke was a former Nissan U.S. CMO and more recently launched the Nissan@Home digital shopping platform.

Nissan on Nov. 7 lowered its outlook for full-year operating income by 70 percent and announced plans to axe 9,000 jobs, slash production capacity 25 percent, and cut ¥300 billion ($2.1 billion) in fixed costs.

The Nissan brand’s U.S. sales slipped 1.4 percent in the third quarter, but rose 1.7 percent in the first nine months of 2024, enough to outpace the overall market.

The brand’s market share fell by about a third from 2018 through 2023, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center. The reduced throughput dragged dealer profitability in the first half of 2024 to its lowest level in nearly 15 years.