In January, General Motors CEO Dan Akerson is scheduled to be elected chairman, replacing Ed Whitacre. GM remains the No.1 car company in the United States. In 2010, for the first time it sold more vehicles in China than in America.
#01. Daniel F. Akerson
CEO
Akerson was elected CEO on Aug. 11, 2010; it became effective Sept. 1, 2010. In January, Akerson is scheduled to be named GM’s chairman. Before joining GM, Akerson was a managing director of The Carlyle Group, based in Washington, D.C. He joined the GM board of directors July 24, 2009. From 1983 to 1993, Akerson served in several key roles at MCI Communications Corp., including executive vice president, CFO, and COO. In 1993, Akerson became a general partner of private equity firm Forstmann Little & Co. and chairman and CEO of General Instrument Co., where he developed and deployed the first digital video, satellite, and cable systems domestically and internationally. Akerson served as chairman (1996-2001) and as CEO (1996-99) of Nextel Communications Inc. Akerson has a bachelor’s of science in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s of science in economics from the London School of Economics.
#02. Stephen J. Girsky*
Vice Chairman, Corporate Strategy and Business Development
Since March 1, 2010, Girsky has had overall responsibility for corporate strategy, business alliances, new business development, and other related areas. He has served on the General Motors board of directors since July 2009, and was senior adviser to the office of the chairman before being named vice chairman. Previously, Girsky was president of S.J. Girsky & Co., an independent advisory firm based in New York, where he worked with senior corporate and board executives, labor leaders, OEM leaders, suppliers, and dealers, as well as national and local policymakers. He also served as the lead director of Dana Holdings Corp. and as president of Centerbridge Industrial Partners, an affiliate of Centerbridge Partners LP, an investment fund with approximately $8 billion of assets under management. Girsky was special adviser to the CEO and CFO of General Motors Corp. from August 2005 to June 2006. He was also managing director at Morgan Stanley.
#03. Christopher P. Liddell*
Vice Chairman, Chief Financial Officer
A native of Mount Clemens, Risher studied at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies and the Parsons School of Design in New York, where she earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in photography. An Hour Detroit contributor for more than a dozen years, she’s currently collaborating with model Veronica Webb and former Hour Detroit staffer Matt Lee on a book featuring portraits of well-known metro Detroiters (page 23). Profits from the sale of the book will go to designated Detroit-based charities. Risher is pictured here hamming it up with Lily Tomlin at Siren Studios in Hollywood, Calif.
#04. Thomas G. Stephens*
Vice Chairman, Global Product Operations
Stephens assumed his position in April 2009, but in December 2009 he was given the added task of overseeing global purchasing. He had been executive vice president of GM’s global powertrain and global quality since March 2008, and continues to oversee GM’s global quality activity. Stephens began his GM career in 1969 as an hourly co-op employee at the Chevrolet engineering center in Warren. He progressed through numerous engineering and management positions at Cadillac, the Buick-Olds-Cadillac Group, and GM’s powertrain organization, until being named vice president and group director of engineering operations for the GM Truck Group in 1996 and group vice president, global powertrain and global quality, in 2007. In February 2007, Stephens was elected as a new member of the National Academy of Engineering for his leadership role in the development of automotive powertrains and related components. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
#05. Mike Arcamone
President and CEO, GM Daewoo Auto & Technology
Arcamone had been vice president of GM Powertrain Europe since July 2007. He had global development responsibility for small diesel engines, diesel controls, small gasoline engines, and manual transmissions. He also had operating responsibility for 10 manufacturing plants and five engineering locations.
#06. Jaime Ardila*
President, GM South America
Appointed July 1, 2010, Ardila oversees GM’s growing operations in Central and South America. He is also a member of GM’s Executive Committee. Ardila served as president and managing director of GM Mercosur since November 2007, and was responsible for GM operations in several South America countries.
#07. James Bovenzi
President and Managing Director, GM Russia
Since May 1, 2010, Bovenzi has been in charge of GM’s operations in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Previously, he served as vice president, global purchasing and supply chain for GM International Operations. Bovenzi began his career with GM in 1977, and has worked in the U.S. and Germany.
#08. Denise Johnson
President and Managing Director, GM do Brazil
Appointed to her new position on June 22, 2010, Johnson was most recently vice president of North America labor relations and had previously worked as the vehicle line director and vehicle chief engineer for small car segment. She joined GM in 1989 as an associate product engineer and held numerous engineering positions.
#09. Grace D. Lieblein
President and Managing Director, GM de Mexico
Lieblein began her career in 1978 as a GM co-op student in Los Angeles,
and worked at the GM Assembly Division, Oldsmobile, and at GM’s Arizona Proving Ground. In 1999, she was appointed director of engineering design for the North America Car Group. She had been a global vehicle chief engineer.
#10. Timothy E. Lee*
President, GM International Operations
Lee oversees the automaker’s Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and Middle East operations. Previously, he was responsible for global manufacturing and labor relations. Lee has served as GM North America vice president of manufacturing and GM Europe vice president of manufacturing, overseeing assembly.
#11. J. Christopher Preuss
President, OnStar LLC
Preuss was appointed March 1, 2010, and is responsible for OnStar’s worldwide infotainment and connectivity initiatives. Most recently, he was vice president, GM Communications, where he led all external and internal communication activities. Preuss also served as vice president, GM Europe Communications.
#12. David N. (Nick) Reilly*
President, GM Europe
Based in Rüsselsheim, Germany, Reilly is responsible for all Opel/Vauxhall operations worldwide and has oversight for other GM activities in Europe, including Chevrolet.
He had served as GM executive vice president and president of GM International Operations since July 2009.
#13. Mark L. Reuss*
President, GM North America
Reuss moved into this position in December 2009 after working as vice president of engineering. He had also served as president and managing director of GM’s Holden subsidiary in Australia. Reuss joined GM in 1983
as a student intern, and has worked in numerous vehicle development positions.
#14. Karl Slym
President and Managing Director, GM India
Since March 1, 2010, Girsky has had overall responsibility for corporate strategy, business alliances, new business development, and other related areas. He has served on the General Motors board of directors since July 2009, and was senior adviser to the office of the chairman before being named vice chairman. Previously, Girsky was president of S.J. Girsky & Co., an independent advisory firm based in New York, where he worked with senior corporate and board executives, labor leaders, OEM leaders, suppliers, and dealers, as well as national and local policymakers. He also served as the lead director of Dana Holdings Corp. and as president of Centerbridge Industrial Partners, an affiliate of Centerbridge Partners LP, an investment fund with approximately $8 billion of assets under management. Girsky was special adviser to the CEO and CFO of General Motors Corp. from August 2005 to June 2006. He was also managing director at Morgan Stanley.
#15. Kevin E. Wale
President and Managing Director, GM China Group
Wale is responsible for the overall coordination of GM’s operations in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Wale was vice president of General Motors Europe, and chairman and managing director of Vauxhall Motors Ltd. He began his GM career with Holden, the automaker’s Australian unit, in 1975, and is a Melbourne native.
#16. Kevin W. Williams
President and Managing Director, GM of Canada Ltd.
Appointed March 1, 2010, Williams has overall responsibility for GM’s operations in Canada. He had been vice president and general manager, Service and Parts Operations, since Dec. 1, 2008. Before that, Williams served as president, managing director, and assistant managing director of GM de Mexico.
#17. Mary T. Barra*
Vice President, Global Human Resources
Barra has held her current position since October 2009. She began her GM career in 1980 as a co-op student at Pontiac, and has served in a number of engineering, manufacturing, management, and communications positions. At one time, she was plant manager for the Detroit Hamtramck assembly center.
#18. Selim Bingol*
Vice President, Communications
Bingol was appointed to his position on March 8, 2010, and has global responsibility for GM’s communications activities — including products and brands, corporate, public policy, executive support, and internal communications. Before joining GM, Bingol was a senior vice president with Fleishman-Hillard, based in St. Louis.
#19. Stephen K. Carlisle*
Vice President, Global Product Planning
Appointed in June 2010. Carlisle had been GM vice president, U.S. Sales Operations, and was responsible for GM’s dealer network, retail sales support, and fleet and commercial operations. He recently returned to the U.S. from Thailand, where he was executive director, GM South East Asia Operations.
#20. Terry Kline*
Vice President, Information Technology
Chief Information Officer
Stephens assumed his position in April 2009, but in December 2009 he was given the added task of overseeing global purchasing. He had been executive vice president of GM’s global powertrain and global quality since March 2008, and continues to oversee GM’s global quality activity. Stephens began his GM career in 1969 as an hourly co-op employee at the Chevrolet engineering center in Warren. He progressed through numerous engineering and management positions at Cadillac, the Buick-Olds-Cadillac Group, and GM’s powertrain organization, until being named vice president and group director of engineering operations for the GM Truck Group in 1996 and group vice president, global powertrain and global quality, in 2007. In February 2007, Stephens was elected as a new member of the National Academy of Engineering for his leadership role in the development of automotive powertrains and related components. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
#21. Michael P. Millikin*
Vice President, Legal and General Counsel
Millikin is a member of the supervisory board of Adam Opel GmbH and the board of directors of GM’s Korean subsidiary, General Motors Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. He joined the General Motors legal staff in 1977, and has held a variety of positions. In 1981 he became part of GM’s overseas legal matters, where he served until 1987.
#22. Daniel Ammann*
Vice President, Finance and Treasurer
Appointed in April 2010, Ammann leads the GM Treasurer’s Office, based in New York, with additional operations in Detroit, Shanghai, and Zurich. Global treasury operations include capital markets activities, capital planning, business development, risk management, worldwide pension funding, and worldwide banking.
#23. Alan S. Batey
Vice President, Chevrolet Sales and Service
Batey, named to his current position in March 2010, is responsible for sales distribution, retail advertising, customer service, and relationships with the Chevrolet dealer network. Previously, he
had been chairman and managing director of GM Holden Ltd. Operations in Australia as well as New Zealand.
#24. John R. Buttermore
Vice President Manufacturing, International Operations
Buttermore joined GM in 1978. Following assignments in manufacturing engineering and plant management, he was named manufacturing manager for GM’s U.S. engine plants in 1996, and manufacturing manager for car assembly plants in 2000, and vice president, North American labor relations, in 2002.
#25. Nicholas S. Cyprus*
Vice President, Controller; Chief Accounting Officer
Cyprus’ responsibilities include reporting financial results to the CEO, CFO, and Audit Committee of the board, and leadership and oversight of shared services functions for GM worldwide — including inventory fixed assets, payroll, accounts payable, billing, and receivables. He also oversees external reporting activities.
#26. Susan Docherty
Vice President, International Operations Sales, Service, Marketing and Aftersales
Appointed in May 2010, Docherty oversees sales, marketing, and aftersales in GM’s Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Russia, and Commonwealth of Independent States operations. She also has responsibility for market performance and improving the opinion and consideration of Chevrolet, Buick, and other brands.
#27. Arturo Elias
Vice President, Government Relations and Global Public Policy
Elias was appointed to his current position on April 1, 2010, and has corporate oversight responsibility for government relations and public policy outside the U.S., including international trade. He is a member of GM’s senior leadership group. From 2000 to 2010, Elias has held various management positions around the world.
#28. Joel Ewanick
Vice President, U.S. Marketing
Appointed in May 2010, Ewanick — as the single point for marketing — has responsibility for improving the positioning of the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac brands and consumer consideration of GM vehicles in the United States. He was previously vice president of marketing, chief marketing officer for Nissan North America.
#29. Robert E. Ferguson
Vice President, Government Relations
Appointed Jan. 1, 2010, Ferguson was named a senior strategist at Public Strategies Inc., where he provided counsel to clients including the International Olympic Committee. Before joining Public Strategies, Ferguson served as the president of state legislative and regulatory affairs at AT&T from 2005 to 2008.
#30. Daniel M. Hancock
Vice President, Global Strategic Product Alliances
Hancock was appointed June 1, 2010, and is responsible for building strong product alliance relationships and speeding the development and implementation of vehicle and technology joint ventures around the world. His previous appointments include vice president, global engineering at GM Powertrain.
#31. James (Jamie) Hresko
Vice President, Global Powertrain Engineering
Named to this new position June 2010, Hresko is responsible for the design and development of engines, transmissions, hybrid systems, and global propulsion technologies. Previously, he was vice president of global quality, responsible for the development and execution of GM’s global quality strategy.
#32. Jonathan J. Lauckner
Vice President; President, General Motors Ventures LLC
GM Ventures was created to make strategic investments in new technology that has the potential to support GM’s core automotive business. Appointed to his new position July 1, 2010, Lauckner had been vice president of global product planning since August 2009 and vice president of global program management.
#33. Michael J. Robinson
Vice President, Environment, Energy, and Safety Policy
Robinson joined GM in 1984 and rose to North America General Counsel in 2008. He has also served as practice area manager on GM’s legal staff, and as the managing attorney responsible for environmental and vehicle regulation policy, and marketing and trade regulation issues. He also counselled on lobbying.
#34. Robert E. Socia
Vice President, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain
Socia oversees GM’s global purchasing, supplier quality, logistics, order fulfillment, and supply operations. He had been executive vice president of Shanghai GM since July 2007. He came to China from GM South Africa, where he had served as president and managing director since January 2004.
#35. Eric R. Stevens
Vice President, Global Manufacturing Engineering.
Stevens oversees GM’s global manufacturing engineering capabilities including assembly automation, casting/engine and transmission technology, polymers, and facilities management. Previously, he was president, manufacturing at GM Europe where he oversaw all vehicle manufacturing and assembly plants.
#36. Karl-Friedrich Stracke
Vice President, Global Vehicle Engineering
Stracke previously served as executive director, global GM vehicle integration, proving grounds, and test labs. Between 2004 and 2009, he held several executive director positions in engineering in both Germany and the U.S. Stracke is a mechanical engineer and joined GM with Adam Opel in Europe in 1979.
#37. Alan Taub
Vice President, Global Research and Development
Taub joined GM research and development in 2001 and has overseen GM’s seven science laboratories in the U.S., Germany, China, India, and Israel. He also led GM’s advanced technology work and global technology collaboration. Taub assumed his current position in 2009, when GM streamlined its R&D activities.
#38. Diana D. Tremblay
Vice President, Manufacturing and Labor Relations
Responsible for implementing GM’s labor strategy, and for negotiating and administering labor contracts with various unions. She had been GM’s executive director of labor relations – UAW. In December 2000, Tremblay began an international service personnel assignment as manufacturing director at Vauxhall Motors Ltd.
#39. Edward T. Welburn Jr.
Vice President, Global Design
Only the sixth design leader in GM history, Welburn is the first to lead all of the company’s 10 design centers in eight countries. He and his team of 1,500 employees are responsible for the design of every GM concept and production car and truck globally, including the Cadillac CTS sedan, sport wagon, and coupe.
#40. Terry J. Woychowski
Vice President, Vehicle Program Management
Woychowski oversees the execution of GM cars and trucks globally. Most recently, he served as executive director for the North America regional chief engineers and, since 1998, he has been the global vehicle chief engineer of GM’s full-size trucks. Woychowski is on the board of the Engineering Society of Detroit.
#41. Walter G. Borst
CEO, Promark Global Advisors Inc.
Appointed in May 2010, Borst oversees Promark, the wholly-owned asset management subsidiary of GM that focuses primarily on the management of retirement plan assets, including GM’s pension plan assets. Borst also serves as the chairman of the Adam Opel Supervisory Board. Previously, he was vice president and treasurer and led the GM Treasurer’s Office.
#42. Anne T. Larin
Corporate Secretary
Since joining the GM legal staff in 1990, Larin has held a variety of positions, including lead attorney for Securities and Exchange Commission reporting and secretary to the GM Board of Directors Audit Committee. Prior to joining GM, Larin was an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, a law firm in Los Angeles that specializes in employment, litigation, and bet-the-company cases.
#43. Victoria McInnis
Chief Tax Officer
McInnis is responsible for GM’s global tax and customs functions. She joined GM in Canada in 1995 and has held positions with the tax staff, including four years in Zurich, Switzerland, overseeing GM’s European tax group and, most recently, as executive director of the global tax counsel group. Prior to joining GM, McInnis was at Canadian law firm McCarthy Tetrault.
#44. John T. Montford
Senior Advisor, Government Relations and Global Public Policy
Appointed Jan. 1, 2010, Montford became senior vice president of state legislative affairs for AT&T and president of external affairs for Southwestern Bell, and also served as president of the western region for AT&T. Montford was the 2005 chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and has been an independent director of Southwest Airlines since 2002.
#45. Chester N. Watson
General Auditor
Watson joined General Motors in March 2003 as general auditor. He has worldwide responsibility for GM’s internal audit staff, focusing on monitoring risk, compliance, and controls, and consulting with GM’s business units and other corporate staffs on opportunities to improve overall financial performance. He also works closely with General Motors’ Audit Committee.
*Executive officer
