Rachel Nguyen

Rachel Nguyen is executive director, Future Lab, Nissan Motor Company, Ltd., a position to which she was appointed in 2014, when the Future Lab was established. She is responsible for leading a multi-disciplined innovation team exploring new product and service ideas through living labs – testing real transportation models in real world settings – to gain insights that frame her team's recommendations for new business opportunities.

Previously at Nissan, Nguyen was the Director of Global Upstream Planning responsible for leading a global brand study, and establishing an improved innovation process and methods for cross-functional collaboration among advanced engineering, design, product planning and marketing functions. She also served as the Director of Advanced Planning and Strategy at Nissan North America, where she led exploratory advanced research activities, product line-up strategy and vehicle concept development.

Prior to joining Nissan, Nguyen was the Long Range Planning Manager in Toyota's Strategic Planning group and spearheaded a cross-functional team in the development of long-term brand strategies for both Toyota and Lexus brands.

With her areas of expertise in strategic planning, brand strategy, advanced product planning, market research and organizational development, Nguyen finds herself energized by the disruption facing the auto industry which affords her the opportunity to pursue her passion for generating mobility systems around the globe that can transform people's quality of life. 

Nguyen holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Wellesley College and earned her Doctorate degree in organizational psychology from Claremont Graduate University.
She is based in California.

(Updated April 2017)

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