DETROIT — In one of the first indications that GM is willing to go outside of its ranks for top talent, the automaker on Monday said it has appointed a former Microsoft chief financial officer as its new vice chairman and CFO. Chris Liddell, 51, who was responsible for heading Microsoft Corp.'s worldwide financial organization, will assume his new post at GM after the first of the year.
Liddell's résumé is intriguing because of its lack of automotive experience. Before joining Microsoft, he was CFO at International Paper Co. Prior to that he was CEO of Carter Holt Harvey Ltd., a forest products company in New Zealand. He has also served as director of the New Zealand Rugby Union and governor of the New Zealand Sports Foundation.
"Chris will lead our financial and accounting operations on a global basis and will report directly to me," said GM Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre in a statement.
Liddell is a key member of Whitacre's new management team. The former AT&T chairman has been putting his own stamp on the automaker's executive ranks since earlier this month when GM President and CEO Fritz Henderson resigned.
Some auto industry observers were looking for GM to take a page out of the Ford Motor Co. playbook and seek talent outside of the auto industry, as the Dearborn automaker did when it hired Alan Mulally away from Boeing. Mulally, Ford president and CEO, has been credited with helping turn around the automaker at a time when GM and Chrysler were forced into bankruptcy proceedings and bailouts from the federal government.
Liddell replaces GM CFO Ray Young, who was named vice president of international operations on December 14.
Inside Line says: An outsider gets a key GM post. Should be interesting to watch what happens. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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cz75 says:
04:24 PM, 12/21/2009
GM has already had too many accountants who knew little about cars, yet had enormous import on the company's direction with their decisions to keep costs low at the expense of quality and content. Hopefully he'll stay out of the way and help the company find the money it takes to do what it needs to do rather than telling them how to cut corners more efficiently.
jstandefer says:
03:53 PM, 12/21/2009
It'll be funny if we find out that Windows Vista's failure was a result of Microsoft's accounting department pushing for the OS's release because it was costing too much money and it was "good enough" as is. If so, then it didn't matter that Goverment Motors hired outside the company, because they're getting the same mentality. There is a common statement out there about mediocrity... "Good enough for government work."
jackson611 says:
01:35 PM, 12/21/2009
when it comes to financing there is little knowledge needed on how to make a car, it's not product development. money is money whether it is made by selling cars or software.
bringing people from the outside also changes the way things are ran, and at GM that is what is needed. the management doesn't necessarily know how to build a car, they just need how to know how to motivate and organize the people who have knowledge on building and selling a car. by bringing in new people new ideas and management techniques are brought in bringing change to the company, which is exactly what GM needs.
mazda609 says:
01:03 PM, 12/21/2009
"Some auto industry observers were looking for GM to take a page out of the Ford Motor Co. playbook and seek talent outside of the auto industry"
Why hire people that have nothing to do with the auto industry? There are many talented people in the automotive industry and at least know something about the product they are working on, not some family friend. I do not really like the idea of hiring people unrelated to the car industry, it seems unfair to the people who study the automotive industry and most likely know it better.