GM North America Pres. Alan Batey spent 40 years at the company. He's retiring effective April 1.
General Motors is in the midst of restructuring its operations, but it’s unlikely losing two of its top officials was part of the plan, nevertheless, Alan Batey and Alicia Boler Davis are both set to leave the company on April 1.
Batey is the company’s North American president, while Boler Davis is head of global manufacturing operations. Batey’s departure isn’t entirely a surprise as he is retiring, but Boler Davis, a long-time confidant of GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra, leaving the company for “other opportunities” is a bit of a shocker.
Barry Engle, currently president of GM International, will move into the new position of executive vice president and president of the Americas to succeed Batey. In the meantime, Boler Davis will be succeeded by Gerald Johnson, who becomes vice president of North American manufacturing and labor relations.
Julian Blissett, currently GM-SAIC executive vice president in China, is named senior vice president, International Operations. Blissett will have responsibility for GM’s operations outside of the Americas and China. Blissett will also report to Barra.
(UAW sues General Motors over plant closures. Click Here for the story.)
Both Johnson and Engle will report directly to Barra, according to the automaker. The transition for both will begin immediately.
Alicia Boler Davis is leaving the company after 25 years for other opportunities.
“I’d like to thank Alicia for her 25 years of dedicated service to GM and for her leadership in driving both business results and culture change,” said Barra in a statement. “Alicia and I have worked together for many years and I appreciate her many contributions. I wish her and her family all the best.”
Boler Davis must be taking a job outside of the industry since she is remaining to help with Johnson’s move into the new job. She started at GM in 1994 as a manufacturing engineer at the midsize/luxury car division in Warren, Michigan.
(Click Here for more about GM expecting bigger profits, more transformation in 2019.)
During the next 25 years at the automaker, she took jobs of increasing responsibilities until taking as the leader of GM’s global manufacturing operations, manufacturing engineering and labor relations organizations in 2016. She was one of many women who were elevated into senior positions during Barra’s tenure.
Others include Julia Steyn, head of urban mobility and Maven; Kimberly Brycz as senior vice president, Global Human Resources; Dhivya Suryadevara as Chief Financial Officer; and Pamela Fletcher, vice president, Global Electric Vehicle Programs.
The company has also seen other high-level executives separate from the company as well, including the aforementioned Steyn; Tim Mahoney, Global Chevrolet chief marketing officer, who retires March 1; and President Dan Ammann, who as of Jan. 1, became CEO of the automaker’s Cruise autonomous vehicle subsidiary.
(To see more about Mary Barra’s radical reshaping of General Motors, Click Here.)
Additionally, GM CFO Chuck Stevens retired in March, and Johan de Nysschen, who was Cadillac president when he was shown the door last spring.