General Motors Company on July 30 announced the final round of senior leadership appointments and retirements. These moves, in addition to those announced earlier this month, create the simplified leadership team announced by GM president and CEO Fritz Henderson on July 10.
"Our goal was to streamline our leadership team and put some of our best executives in positions where they can use their diverse perspectives and extensive global experience to create the new GM," said Henderson. "The new GM leadership team includes people who have excelled in every area of the auto business, in every region of the world. This new GM team's experience is unmatched, and it will be invaluable as we renew our commitment to building and selling great cars and trucks and serving the needs of customers around the globe."
Reuss to lead global engineering
Mark Reuss, who most recently served as president and managing director of Holden in Australia, will be named vice president, global vehicle engineering. Reuss will replace Jim Queen, group vice president, global engineering, and Ed Koerner, GM North American vice president, engineering, who have elected to retire October 1.
Reuss, 45, joined GM in 1983 as a student intern in the noise and vibration laboratory, and has worked in a variety of vehicle development positions. He was named executive director, architecture engineering and GM Performance Division in 2001, executive director of North American vehicle systems and architecture in 2005, and executive director, global vehicle integration, safety and virtual development in 2006, before joining Holden in 2008. A long-time performance car enthusiast, Reuss is also a certified for the famed Nürburgring circuit in Germany.
Queen, 60, joined GM in 1977 following six years as a U.S. Marine aviator, and served in a number of vehicle and powertrain engineering positions. In 2001, he was named vice president, GM North America engineering, and assumed responsibility for global engineering in 2005. In both positions, Queen was instrumental in GM's successful transition to a global product development organization.
Koerner, 59, joined GM in 1969 as a lab technician at Oldsmobile. He held various vehicle engineering positions at Oldsmobile and the Buick-Pontiac-Oldsmobile division until 1987, when he joined GM Powertrain as an assistant chief engineer. Following several assignments in chassis and powertrain engineering, including chief engineer for the legendary small-block V8, Koerner was name executive director, engine engineering in 2002, and GM powertrain vice president, engineering operations, in 2003. He was appointed GM North America vice president, engineering, in 2005.
Additional Leadership Changes
· Mary Barra, currently vice president, global manufacturing engineering, will become vice president, global human resources, effective October 1. Barra, 47, began her GM career in 1980 as a co-op student at Pontiac. She has served in a number of engineering, manufacturing, management, and communications positions, and was plant manager for the Detroit Hamtramck assembly center. Barra was appointed executive director, vehicle manufacturing engineering in 2004, and named to her current position in 2008.
· Katy Barclay, vice president, global human resources, has elected to retire, effective October 1. Barclay, 53, has held this position since 1998, and has also worked for the Southland Company and Allen-Bradley Company. Prior to her current position, Barclay was general director of human resource management for GM North American operations. Other positions held include director of human resources for GM vehicle sales, service and marketing, and director of compensation for GM.
· Eric Stevens, currently GM Europe vice president, manufacturing, will be named vice president, global manufacturing engineering, replacing Barra. Stevens, 53, joined GM's Canadian headquarters staff in 1978, and progressed through a variety of assignments in materials management, quality, and manufacturing. In 1993, he was named president of Opel Eisenach, then in 1997 became executive director, lean manufacturing, responsible for planning and implementing five new GM plants around the world. He has also worked as plant manager at the award-winning Oshawa assembly plant.
· John Buttermore, currently vice president, powertrain manufacturing, will assume the role of vice president, manufacturing, for GM International Operations. Buttermore, 58, joined GM in 1978 after serving with the U.S. Navy. Following assignments in manufacturing engineering and plant management, Buttermore was named manufacturing manager for GM's U.S. engine plants in 1996, manufacturing manager for car assembly plants in 2000, and vice president, North American labor relations in 2002. He became global powertrain vice president, manufacturing, in 2006.
· Walt Dorfstatter, currently executive director, engineering systems and operations for OnStar, will be named general manager for OnStar. Dorfstatter, 49, joined GM in 1996, and he has worked in a variety of positions at OnStar. He has held his current position since 2005.
· Chet Huber, president of OnStar since 1995, has elected to retire, effective October 1. Huber, 55, joined GM's Electro-Motive (locomotive) Division as a co-op engineering student in 1972, and held a variety of engineering, operations, and marketing roles at Electro-Motive, included director of aftermarket business, general director of aftermarket parts and service, and general director of sales, marketing and product support. In 1994, Huber was named the first Industrial Fellow to attend the National Defense University's Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Since its inception, GM's OnStar subsidiary has become the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services.
· Jon Lauckner, currently vice president, global program management, will become vice president, global product planning. Lauckner, 51, joined GM in 1979 at Buick, and served in a number of engineering, product line management, marketing, and planning positions, including director for export operations and trade development, and director of planning, both for GM do Brasil. In 2000, Lauckner was named vehicle line executive for the Astra and Zafira compact cars for GM Europe, and he became global vehicle line executive for the Epsilon midsize car architecture, based in Rüsselsheim, Germany, in 2004. He was named to his current position of vice president, global program management, in 2005.
· Terry Woychowski, currently executive director, global vehicle chief engineers, will become vice president, global vehicle program management, replacing Lauckner. Woychowski, 53, has been with GM for more than 29 years. He has been chief engineer for GM's award-winning line of full-size pickups and sport-utility vehicles since 1997, and for the past four years, he has also served in the leadership role for the regional chief engineers.
· Denny Mooney, vice president, global vehicle systems and integration, has elected to retire, effective October 1. Mooney, 53, joined GM in 1978 as a college graduate in training at Oldsmobile, and served in a number of engineering and business-team management positions. In 2001, he was named executive director, vehicle performance, for North American engineering, and in 2003 he became executive director, vehicle integration, also for GM North American engineering. He was appointed chairman and managing director for Holden in 2003, and was named to his current position in 2007.
· Gary White, North America vice president and vehicle line executive for full-size trucks, has elected to retire November 1. White, 58, started his GM career at Lordstown, Ohio, and served in various engineering and management positions at Buick, the Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac division, and Cadillac Luxury Car Division. He was named vehicle line executive for midsize cars, including the successful Chevy Impala, in 1995, and became vehicle line executive for full-size trucks in 1999, where he oversaw creation of GM's current generation of award-winning trucks.
"Today's announcements, in addition to the moves that we've announced throughout the month of July, complete the changes to GM's senior leadership team," said Henderson. "I'd like to congratulate Mary Barra, John Buttermore, Walt Dorfstatter, Jon Lauckner, Mark Reuss, Eric Stevens, and Terry Woychowski on their new positions, and personally thank Katy Barclay, Chet Huber, Ed Koerner, Denny Mooney, Jim Queen, and Gary White for their tremendous contributions during their careers at GM."
