GM Fires Caddy Execs, Hires Former AT&T PR Boss As Leadership Purge Continues
Published: March 5th, 2010
Share
Recently-reassigned Cadillac boss Bryan Nesbitt isn’t the only GM exec paying the price for weak Cadillac sales, as Automotive News [sub] reports that GM has terminated three other Caddy executives.
Cadillac’s Steve Shannon and John Howell were dismissed Monday, said eight sources familiar with the moves. Jay Spenchian, an executive director who worked on Cadillac and other brands, was also let go, the sources said.
Longtime GM executive and Cadillac sales manager Ed Peper will stay on at Cadillac, and will report to Kurt McNeil, who will take over as Cadillac’s head of sales and service. This is the second time Peper’s career has moved backwards in recent months: prior to becoming Cadillac’s sales manager, he had served as the general manager of the Chevrolet brand. More proof that it doesn’t pay to be a lifer in Ed Whitacre’s new GM.Selim brings a wealth of experience to this position and his deep and diverse background will serve us well as we accelerate our efforts to design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles. I have worked with Selim over the years on several complex communication issues and he has my trust and respect.
One thing he doesn’t bring: knowledge of the car business, something Whitacre has admitted to struggling with. Of course, the PR side of the business isn’t quite as dependent on industry-specific experience, but the fact that Whitacre went with a former colleague adds to the growing perception that he is running GM as his personal fiefdom.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
Comments
Join the conversation
Trust me, getting your execs from ATT's labor pool doesnt thrill me. ATT management suffers from the old boy network too.
"Trust me, getting your execs from ATT’s labor pool doesnt thrill me. ATT management suffers from the old boy network too." Your flippant assertion flies in the face of much industry recognition of the diversity of AT&T's executive management, which includes several awards from minority organizations.