#demant

In the wake of GM re-taking full control of Opel, Opel’s former boss Hans Demant stepped down to make room for Nick Reilly. Demant’s new title was GM Vice President, Global Intellectual Property Rights. His job was described as being “responsible for protecting GM’s property rights globally, for example in conjunction with business alliances, partnerships and transactions.”

That job is the GM equivalent of keeping track of the Willow Ptarmigan, Common Ravens, and Snow Buntings population of Nome Alaska. It comes as no surprise that Demand quit. At age 59, he could have taken early retirement. Instead, he took a job with the competition.

GM’s interimitis is turning into a chronic disease. First, Whitacre becomes interim replacement of Henderson, and is in no hurry to give up the job. Then, in November 2009. Nick Reilly becomes interim head of GM Europe while GM is supposedly searching for a replacement of Carl-Peter Forster. In December 2009, the interim boss was installed as permanent chief of GM Europe. Now, Reilly will be named permanent CEO of Opel, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.