One of the biggest car dealership groups in Canada, AutoCanada, has appointed Steve Carlisle, a former executive at GM, to its Board of Directors, alongside Imperial Capital partner Christopher Harris.
The General Motors executive and the investment firm partner will replace two directors who are retiring from the AutoCanada board, Dennis DesRosiers and Lee Matheson, while five other existing directors will continue to hold their positions on the board.
Steve Carlisle occupied various executive positions at The General for forty-one years prior to his 2023 retirement. His most recent post at the automaker was Executive Vice President and President of General Motors North America, responsible for heading operations in Canada, the USA, and Mexico.
He has also had previous experience in the Canadian market specifically thanks to his earlier position as Managing Director, General Motors of Canada. Carlisle was also involved at the top levels of GM’s luxury brand Cadillac, first as senior vice president and then as president.Â
His other roles at The General across his lengthy four-decade career include:
- Vice President, Global Product Planning
- Vice President, U.S. Sales Operations
- President, Southeast Asia Operations
According to the executive chair of AutoCanada, Paul Antony, Carlisle is expected to offer the board “extensive and unparalleled OEM experience and strategic acumen.” Antony added that Carlisle should be able to furnish “invaluable guidance during a period of industry transformation, while bringing the perspective of our most important business partners to the boardroom.”
As its name suggests, AutoCanada has an extensive presence in Canada, with 68 dealerships in its network. These dealerships are spread across eight Canadian provinces and employ slightly less than five thousand workers in total. The group also operates in America, with 18 dealerships all located in the state of Illinois.
AutoCanada represents 25 automotive brands in Canada and 16 in the USA. These include European, Asian, and American car companies, along with all four core GM brands – Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC.
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Comments
Mr. Carlisle was a good, solid, well respected member of GM management. On the other hand, whomever wrote this article should note that all of AutoCandada
All of AutoCanada’s dealerships are in America. Whomever wrote and whomever edited this story should know the difference between “America” and the United States. Illinois is in the United States (of America), and all of Canada is in “America” also known as North America.