Nissan has confirmed that global head of sales, marketing and brand for NISMO Darren Cox has left the company after 18 years of service, tendering his resignation.
Cox has been the driving force behind Nissan’s LMP1 project and return to the premier class of sportscar racing, which failed to live up to expectations at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Nissan’s trio of LMP1 cars would not be returning to the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2015 to allow further testing to be conducted.
In a statement issued by Nissan on Friday, Cox’s resignation was confirmed, with the Briton saying that he will take his career in a new direction.
“The decision to leave Nissan and the Alliance was not an easy one,” Cox admitted. “I have enjoyed a great many years working on some amazing projects with great people and have thrived on the challenges, successes and even failures, in equal measure.
“I have seen GT Academy grow from a small European initiative to now embracing countries representing half the world’s population. I am equally proud of successes such as participating in the launch of Juke, managing marketing for Qashqai in Europe and being part of the team working to expand the Nismo Brand.
“While I am excited to take a new direction in my career, there is much that I will miss about my time with Nissan and I wish everyone all the best for the future.”
The statement added: “An announcement about subsequent restructuring within NISMO as a result of Cox’s departure will be made in due course.”