GM Finds a New Boss for Maven

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Rather than look outside the company for some Silicon Valley-reared go-getter, General Motors sourced its new Maven boss from within. The automaker’s mobility brand was left leaderless following the unexpected January departure of Julia Steyn, who led the brand since its 2016 inception.

Into Steyn’s shoes steps Sigal Cordeiro, a 19-year GM veteran who most recently served as executive director of global product marketing for the automaker’s overseas GEM platform — a vehicle architecture intended to help GM grow its presence in emerging markets. Cordeiro now must guide Maven through its growing pains, ultimately taking it … somewhere.

Steyn had big ideas for Maven, which started out in January 2016 as a carsharing service offering short-term rentals from a GM-owned fleet. The brand then branched out with Maven Gig, a rental service providing vehicles to rideshare and delivery drivers. Last year came a new initiative: peer-to-peer carsharing.

Essentially, private owners and lessees of 2015 or newer GM vehicles can rent out their car to others via a mobile app, earning themselves (and GM) money in the process. The service is now in the process of expanding to 10 American cities. Shortly before her departure, Steyn spoke of adding non-GM vehicles to the service.

While GM created Maven in a bid to open up new revenue streams in a cooling new vehicle market, the mobility realm is still young and teething. Cordeiro’s new role at GM, which began effective February 15th, is to ensure the brand’s profitability — not a simple goal, given the number of competing mobility upstarts.

[Source: Automotive News] [Image: Maven]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Dantes_inferno Dantes_inferno on Feb 22, 2019

    The headline should read: GM finds a new boss - China.

  • Redapple Redapple on Feb 22, 2019

    BEV Ride Sharing Autonomy. All Head fakes/ distractions from WHAT MAKES YOU MONEY.

  • Trucky McTruckface Trucky McTruckface on Feb 22, 2019

    "Essentially, private owners and lessees of 2015 or newer GM vehicles can rent out their car to others via a mobile app, earning themselves (and GM) money in the process" Because your GM car didn't already feel enough like a rental, now you can literally rent it to strangers! Just what everyone's always wanted! "Shortly before her departure, Steyn spoke of adding non-GM vehicles to the service" What a shock that she "departed" after suggesting that! "Into Steyn’s shoes steps Sigal Cordeiro, a 19-year GM veteran" GM lifer replaces failed executive, another shock!

  • BklynPete BklynPete on Feb 23, 2019

    "General Motors. The faces change, but the excuses remain the same."

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