”We would never have got the Nissan Leaf to market had it not been for the unwavering support of the CEO. He gave us the air cover.”

This week’s guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast is Andy Palmer, dubbed ‘The Godfather of Electric Vehicles’, he is the former Chief Operating Officer at Nissan and the former CEO of the iconic car maker, Aston Martin. 

He shares with us the boardroom stories that have shaped his career, including persuading Nissan’s board to invest in the first mass-market electric vehicle, and taking on a heritage company, Aston Martin, that was facing bankruptcy. 

Andy introduces us to the Japanese concept of Nemawashi, the process of building consensus and gathering support for a decision before a formal announcement. He compares that to what he calls  ”a typical, more confrontational, western board”.

He also talks about the importance of making sure board members are properly prepared for meetings, nervousness in the boardroom, and why he believes every FTSE chairman should sit on a startup board.

Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings.

Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn

Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: sherpany.com/en

This is an 18Sixty production for Sherpany.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:32) Boardroom Pressure at Aston Martin

(04:27) Launching the DBX SUV: Overcoming Internal Resistance

(14:23) The Nissan Leaf Story

(20:46) Self-confidence