Amid Ghosn scam and pay scandal, how Nissan CEO went from defiant to fired

In the wake of the Ghosn saga, which exposed the company's shortcomings when it came to policing executive pay, Nissan drew a line in the sand

Hiroto Saikawa’s tone bordered on defiant Sunday when discussing his future as chief executive officer of Nissan Motor Co. He accepted responsibility for the Carlos Ghosn scandals and said he’d resign after a successor was found, but he wasn’t taking the fall for a burgeoning controversy over his pay. 

That strategy blew up 24 hours later when the embattled carmaker’s board pushed him out –- citing his excess compensation. Saikawa’s last day will be September 16, and the board is taking a look at a pool of about 10 candidates for the job.

The end of Saikawa’s four-decade career came in a