General Motors President Daniel Ammann (41), has been nominated to succeed Steve Girsky as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of GM’sRüsselsheim, Germany-based subsidiary Opel. Ammann’s official appointment to the Opel Supervisory Board (OSB) is subject to an election, which will take place at an upcoming meeting that’s yet to be scheduled. 51-year-old Girsky, who is a member of GM’s Board of Directors, was named Chairman of the OSB in November 2011.
“Steve led GM’s turnaround plan for Europe that has put that region’s operations back on a path to profitability. Dan Ammann will keep up this course – with the clear goal to break-even by mid-decade”, said GM CEO Mary Barra of Girsky’s achievements.
Meanwhile, Ammann welcomed the opportunity, saying, “I am looking forward to building on the strong foundation that Steve Girsky helped to establish as Chairman of the Opel Supervisory Board. Opel/Vauxhall is a key factor in GM’s strategy to win globally and we will work together to grow Opel/Vauxhall further.”
Girsky offered similar words of encouragement: “I am proud of what GM and Opel/Vauxhall have accomplished. This team is united in its commitment to build on the foundation that we have established.”
As recently as December 2013, Girsky served as GM Vice Chairman, Corporate Strategy, Business Development and Global Product Planning alongside serving as Chairman of the OSB. However, the colossal executive-level shakeup that started with the retirement of then-GM CEO Dan Akerson and the appointment of Mary Barra as his successor also  rearranged The General’s executive ranks in a way that saw Girsky move into a senior advisory role with the automaker. On a related note, it’s currently unclear whether this was an obligatory or a voluntary move on Girsky’s part. For the time being, however, Girsky will remain on the GM Board of Directors.
Update: an earlier version of this report stated the following:
“The nomination to the OSB Chairman post has been the equivalent of being elected for the position, since the board has yet to vote against a candidate recommended by parent GM. Thus, barring an unexpected turn of events, one can consider Ammann to be a shoe-in for the OSB position.”
This is incorrect, as there have been exceptions in the past.
Comments
The comment above that the OSB has yet to disapprove a nomination from GM is not correct. GM has had to select alternate people in the past when it was obvious that the board would defeat their candidate. Hannenberger is one such example. He got the consolation prize of Holden much to the delight of the Australians where he had earned their respect before as a suspension guru. Remember half the members of the OSB are employees or union members and cost cutting accountants are always suspect.
After the nomination, the election had taken place.
As I predicted in an earlier contribution on this forum, GM has also exchanged a number of its representatives on the capital owner side:
New are:
• Mark Reuss, Executive Vice President of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain;
• Julia Steyn, Vice President of Global Mergers and Acquisitions;
• Chuck Stevens, Executive Vice President and CFO
• Jim DeLuca, Executive Vice President Global Manufacturing.
They replace:
• Steve Girsky, leaving the company in April 2014
• Mary Barra focussing on her new leadership role as GM Chief Executive Officer.
• John Stapleton, who is now CFO of GM North America,
• Tim Lee, Executive Vice President, Global Manufacturing, and Chairman, GM China, is retiring from the company.