Chevy Boss, Another GM "Lifer," To Retire
By Bill Visnic December 9, 2009General Motors Co.'s crucial Chevrolet division has a new general manager as yet another long-serving executive is leaving GM.
The company announced late Wednesday that Brent Dewar, 31-year GM veteran and vice president, global Chevrolet, will retire effective April 1, 2010. Taking over immediately as Chevrolet general manager is 45-year-old James M. Campbell, who had been in charge of GM's Fleet and Commercial Operations.
Since GM emerged from bankruptcy in mid-July, chairman Ed Whitacre has emphasized GM is striving for younger faces and fresher thinking -- not to mention fresh blood from outside -- to reinvigorate GM's hidebound executive culture.
Chevrolet's new general manager is appropriately young, perhaps, but is no newbie at GM, having been with the company since 1988.
"Jim has a strong track record of building relationships and partnerships with dealers and customers, and deep Chevrolet experience," said Susan Docherty, GM's recently appointed vice president of sales, service and marketing. "His energy, drive for results and willingness to take risks are great assets for leading the growing global Chevrolet brand."
GM's new decision-makers may have concluded the Chevrolet brand may be in need of some risk-taking. By far the dominant brand in GM's newly consolidated four-brand empire, through November, Chevrolet sales were off 27.3 percent for the year.
It might be easy to assume the continuing depression of the U.S. pickup-truck segment might be the culprit for Chevrolet's performance, but the brand's car and truck sales for the year are down by nearly equal amounts: 28.4 percent for trucks and 25.4 percent for cars.
The departing Dewar started at General Motors Canada in 1978 and held a variety of positions. He was named GM North America vice president of marketing and advertising and had responsibility for Chevrolet's global marketing. During his tenure, Chevrolet developed "Chevrolet: An American Revolution," which GM said was the largest advertising campaign in Chevrolet history.
When GM emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Dewar, who had headed Chevy earlier in the decade as GM began its effort to craft a singular worldwide branding for the division, was named vice president of global Chevrolet.
In an exclusive interview with AutoObserver in October, Dewar effectively said the ability of GM to succeed after its bankruptcy largely rests with the performance of the Chevrolet brand.
Campbell's new appointment as Chevrolet general manager comes just a week after the Buick division named its own new general manager, Michael D. Richards, a executive who has never worked at GM and has digital media experience and served in various marketing positions at Ford Motor Co. -- Bill Visnic, senior contributing editor
Photo by GM
1. James M. Campbell, newly appointed general manager for Chevrolet.
2. So far this year, truck and car sales are down almost equally at Chevrolet.
LEAVE A COMMENT
Question is, do all these younger faces have enough knowledge and experience of the auto industry in order for their companies to succeed? Or do they have the arrogance of Tesla, who has found out the auto biz is much more complex and full of regulatory and legal burderns and thus, much tougher and expensive than they realized?
The word "brand" is so overused. The auto industry should never have been introduced to it. More toothpaste marketing is not what's going to revive GM. Chevrolet used to be a divison and not just a brand or sales & marketing organization. That reduction of divisional autonomy back in the '80s did not help GM.
Reminds me a bit of the Star Wars - Empire Strikes Back movie, when the various lieutenants Darth Vadar promotes after killing their predecessors assume their new positions apprehensively, hoping they won't be killed as well if they don't meet his expectations.
Agreed. And still worse, the changes are being made (see Fortune Mag) by the 3 board members from Private Equity backgrounds (how did that work out at Chrysler which has no product pipeline, etc) and Whitacre - none of whom have auto industry background. Raising further questions, all the changes seem to be undoing what Henderson put in place only a few months earlier (no chance for even early results), so possibly a bloodbath because Henderson and top managers tried to push back against the above foursome's inexperienced decisions
Correction -
not Fortune mag but Business Week
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_51/b4160033930201.htm?chan=magazine+channel_new+business
Reuss ran Australia Holden which is not a small company. He was given Chief Engineer position here in the states before the huge move to President. He has the product experience AND the management experience. Great guy and he will do a great job. Now he is picking his leaders and I am sure he will pick some great experienced execs to help him.
And yes, there was pushback from Henderson but you can only tell the boss he is wrong so long before they get rid of you. Hopefully Reuss and team will have a good rapport with the board and get the right things done.
ADD A COMMENT