Kent-based Caterham Cars has appointed former Nissan global sportscar programme director, Bob Laishley, as its new chief strategy officer.

The appointment is the first under new Caterham owner, Japan-based VT Holdings, which acquired the British lightweight sportscar brand last month.

A trained engineer with a proven track-record in developing and delivering innovative new products, Mr Laishley joins after more than 25 years at Nissan. During his tenure he held various roles for the brand, including as program director for its OEM collaborations and sports car divisions.

It was the latter role in which, from 2014, he oversaw the application of the marque’s world-famous NISMO expertise to mainstream performance road cars and held responsibility for the iconic GT-R and Z programmes.

He said: “Caterham is a very special brand, with a very special product that has been a benchmark for handling and performance, so it was not a difficult decision to take up the offer from Takahashi-san and the board at VT Holdings.

“The first priority is to protect and develop the Seven so that it can continue to meet the expectations of our customer base in the immediate years.”

He added: “Yes, I have ideas, but so do the team. We are now focused on appraising those collectively and building a clear roadmap for the business for the next decade. The Caterham DNA of lightness and fun is unique in the automotive world and that is the key ingredient on which we will sensibly build.”

Graham MacDonald, Caterham Cars chief executive, said: “It goes without saying that we are all delighted to welcome Bob onto the board and into the wider Caterham family. His experience, vision and connections will play an important role as we write the next chapter for the brand.”