GM CEO Rick Wagoner, all about currying "love ya" points with the massive network of GM dealerships, just dropped the following letter about a little shake-up hitting the RenCen. Specifically Troy Clarke, the prez of the growing GM Asia Pacific division since 2004 will be moving over to the not-so-much-growing GM North America division to head the stuck-but-maybe-turning-around team at the RenCen. Sounds like fun — especially cause Rick's been running the whole show by himself for months now. Sounds to us like a fun job — moving over to take over the crown-jewel, all with Rick watching from the floor above. Sounds like a total blast. The full letter's below the jump:
GM Leadership Announcement
May 30, 2006
GM Dealers,
Today, I am announcing that Troy Clarke is appointed president of GM North America and GM group vice president, effective July 1. Troy has been president of GM Asia Pacific since 2004.
Over the past year, we have reached several significant milestones in our GMNA turnaround plan. This is the right time to turn the region's day-to-day operations over to Troy, who has the experience and skills to help lead the GMNA team as it continues this unprecedented restructuring. Troy has a track record of success in general management, manufacturing, and labor relations in the United States and globally, which will be invaluable in his new assignment.
As background, Troy joined GM's Pontiac division in 1973, and held several engineering and manufacturing assignments there. He was named director of manufacturing for GM de Mexico in 1997, and president and managing director in 1998, when he also became a corporate vice president. In 2001, Troy was appointed vice president of labor relations in Detroit, and he became group vice president of manufacturing and labor relations in 2002. He served as GM's chief negotiator during the 2003 labor negotiations in North America, prior to his post at GM Asia Pacific.
Be assured that I and the other members of the GM senior leadership team will continue to be actively involved in executing the next key steps in the North America turnaround plan, including a successful resolution of the Delphi reorganization; completion of the accelerated attrition and capacity-reduction programs, and achievement of the $7 billion structural cost-reduction target; flawless launches of key new cars, trucks and advanced technologies; and ongoing refinement and acceleration of GM's brand and product-focused marketing strategies.
As always, we appreciate your partnership and support.
Sincerely,
Rick Wagoner
GM's Wagoner Picks Clarke to Run North American Unit (Update2) [Bloomberg]
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