General Motors has announced a series of leadership changes following the upcoming departure of Mary Chan, Vice President, Global Connected Customer. GM states that the changes “fortify its senior leadership team, adding further diversity in perspective and experiences” that will allow the company “to continue its evolution into a stronger, more customer-centric organization.”
“We understand that we have to earn our customers’ trust and loyalty, and that every interaction matters,” CEO Mary Barra said. “The vehicle purchase is just the start. We intend to earn customers for life by delivering exceptional quality and customer care, and these changes put us on a path to achieving that.”
| PERSON | PREVIOUS ROLE | NEW ROLE | REPORTING TO |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALICIA BOLER-DAVIS: | VP GLOBAL QUALITY & CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE | VP GLOBAL CONNECTED CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE | MARY BARRA |
| GRACE LIEBLEIN: | VP GLOBAL PURCHASING & SUPPLY CHAIN | VP GLOBAL QUALITY | MARY BARRA |
| STEVE KIEFER: | VP GLOBAL POWERTRAIN | VP GLOBAL PURCHASING & SUPPLY CHAIN | MARK REUSS |
| DAN NICHOLSON: | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POWERTRAIN EMBEDDED CONTROLS | VP GLOBAL POWERTRAIN | MARK REUSS |
Outside of Chan’s departure in 2015, the changes — all of which are effective immediately — are as follows:
Alicia Boler-Davis
Alicia Boler-Davis, currently senior vice president, Global Quality and Customer Experience, is named senior vice president, Global Connected Customer Experience. In addition to her current customer experience responsibilities, she will assume responsibility for the Global Connected Consumer organization, which includes OnStar and its call centers. Under Boler-Davis’ leadership, GM has reshaped its global quality strategy, how the company interacts with its customers through call centers and social media, as well as the use of predictive tools and modeling. Aligning all customer-facing centers under single leadership will enable more consistent customer care and deliver improved efficiency. Boler-Davis will continue to report to GM CEO Mary Barra.
Grace Lieblein
Grace Lieblein, currently vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, is named vice president, Global Quality, assuming the quality element of Boler-Davis’ responsibility. Under Lieblein’s leadership, GM has set the foundation for more productive supplier relations, based on greater collaboration, dedication to quality fundamentals and a focus on mutual success, which has been recognized by the supplier community as a model for the industry. Lieblein has extensive experience in manufacturing, vehicle engineering, purchasing and global markets. With her diverse technical expertise, steeped with a customer-facing perspective, Lieblein is well-positioned to accelerate GM’s progress in vehicle quality. In her previous role, Lieblein reported to Mark Reuss, but now report to GM CEO Mary Barra.
Steve Kiefer
Steve Kiefer, currently vice president, Global Powertrain, is named vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, assuming Lieblein’s responsibility. Kiefer will report to Mark Reuss, executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. He will continue to build on the progress Lieblein established with suppliers. Kiefer’s extensive leadership experience in the supplier community and strong technical expertise will be key as GM continues its efforts to reshape how the company and its suppliers work together, partner for mutual success, and deliver greater value to customers.
Dan Nicholson
Dan Nicholson, currently executive director of Powertrain Embedded Controls, is promoted to Global Powertrain vice president, assuming Kiefer’s responsibility and reporting to Mark Reuss. Nicholson’s broad-range global experience in quality, powertrain development, engine calibration, and controller and software integration are especially valuable as embedded controls and software are increasingly being applied to sophisticated engine and drivetrain systems. A replacement for Nicholson’s current role will be named later.
“Strong brands, top quality and an unsurpassed overall customer experience are essential ingredients to winning in the ever-competitive auto business. And that’s what we intend to deliver to our customers,” Barra said. “As vehicles and mobile technology become increasingly integrated, GM’s focus is on delivering an exceptional fully connected vehicle.”
Comment
Looks like some very talented people working in the area of customer and supplier relations and the supply chain of products and their enhancement … both in North America and worldwide . Thanks for giving us the pictures , as well . This team’s work will empower GM and its employees to develop what has been neglected , quality customer and supplier relations . This is the best news I’ve heard in weeks , it will be a difficult task , indeed , for customer relations and suppliers / GM purchasing agents involve a lot of of humanity . It will take years of dedicated effort to make the needed improvements . I pray this team is up to the task , it will help immensely if GM commits to keep a strong continual focus on these very important facets of the business .