DETROIT — Saying that GM is "not moving fast enough with enough success," GM North America President Mark Reuss announced sweeping changes to the automaker's U.S. sales and marketing staff on Tuesday — changes that give him more clout. The shakeup includes the ouster of designer Bryan Nesbitt as Cadillac general manager.
In a statement, GM explained that Nesbitt "is leaving Cadillac and returning to his home organization as executive director, advanced concept group, reporting to Ed Welburn, vice president, global design."
When asked to further explain Nesbitt's departure from Cadillac during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Reuss said: "Bryan and I go back quite a bit. We've had great success on lots of products as a designer and engineer myself. He is one of the very best designers that I've ever known. Also one of the best strategic minds I've ever known. We've focused people with their skill sets where they are excellent. We need Bryan in design more than ever, so Bryan is going to be in design."
The experiment in putting a designer at the top of a GM brand was short-lived. Nesbitt assumed his post in late summer of 2009, where he reported directly to GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. Nesbitt had been GM's North America design chief and the former chief designer for Chevrolet and executive director of design for GM Europe. At GM he designed the Chevrolet HHR, and in a former design job at Chrysler he was responsible for the design of the Chrysler PT Cruiser.
But Nesbitt's return to design is only a small part of the changes at GM. The new overhaul — the third sweeping change in the structure and executive ranks of the automaker since it emerged from bankruptcy last year — includes limiting the role of Susan Docherty. Docherty had been in charge of North American sales and marketing. Now she will run U.S. marketing only, with Reuss taking charge of sales.
"I could see clear as day that the mixture and the structure of the people just wasn't right," said Reuss during the press conference. He said the plan was finalized last week and presented to the GM board of directors today. "This is the best team for the task ahead," Reuss said. "This is going to be it for the future."
Docherty also spoke during the conference call with reporters, explaining that GM's product offensive played a role in the shakeup. "We have been very successful with six [recent] key launches," she said. "We're adding another five to that roster — [Chevrolet] Cruze and [Chevrolet] Volt. Having someone dedicated to marketing and making sure that these two launches come off without a hitch, we need people dedicated to that."
The restructuring means that there are no more general managers at the head of GM divisions. Instead, senior brand marketing executives will report to Docherty. They include: Don Butler, the new U.S. marketing vice president for Cadillac, who is rejoining the automaker from telematics company Inrix; and Jim Campbell, the new U.S. marketing vice president for Chevrolet, who is shedding his Chevrolet sales duties.
Inside Line says: It's another rewrite for GM's management playbook with no guarantees that this will be the final draft. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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