Reuss to replace Queen, Koerner as head of GM engineering

[Oracle of Delphi]

Automotive News

July 30, 2009 - 10:25 am ET

General Motors Co., in its final round of senior executive shake-ups following its July 10 exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, today named Mark Reuss as vice president of global vehicle engineering.

Reuss, 45, will replace GM veterans Jim Queen, 60, group vice president, global engineering, and Ed Koerner, 59, GM North American vice president, engineering, who both elected to retire Oct. 1.

"Our goal was to streamline our leadership team and put some of our best executives in positions where they can use their diverse perspectives and extensive global experience to create the new GM," GM CEO Fritz Henderson said in a statement.

Reuss most recently was president and managing director of Holden in Australia. He joined GM in 1983 as a student intern and has held several top positions since 2001 before joining Holden in 2008.

Queen has headed GM's worldwide engineering operations since March 2005. He has worked for GM since 1977, when he finished his post-college stint with the U.S. Marines. He began with engineering positions at Buick before joining the powertrain division of Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac, where he was chief engineer of the Quad-4 engine.

Koerner, 59, joined GM in 1969 as a lab technician at Oldsmobile. He held various vehicle engineering positions at Oldsmobile and the Buick-Pontiac-Oldsmobile division until 1987, when he joined GM Powertrain as an assistant chief engineer. He was appointed GM North America vice president, engineering, in 2005.

Chet Huber, 55, president of OnStar since 1995, also elected to retire, effective Oct. 1. Huber joined GM's Electro-Motive division as a co-op engineering student in 1972 and held a variety of engineering, operations and marketing positions there.

GM's press release also listed these changes and appointments:

• Mary Barra, currently vice president, global manufacturing engineering, will become vice president, global human resources, effective Oct.1. Barra, 47, began her GM career in 1980 as a co-op student at Pontiac. Barra was appointed executive director, vehicle manufacturing engineering in 2004 and named to her current post in 2008.

• Katy Barclay, vice president, global human resources, has elected to retire, effective Oct. 1. Barclay, 53, has held this position since 1998. She also has worked at Southland Co. and Allen-Bradley Co. Prior to her current position, Barclay was general director of human resource management for GM North American operations.

• Eric Stevens, currently GM Europe vice president, manufacturing, will be named vice president, global manufacturing engineering, replacing Barra. Stevens, 53, joined GM's Canadian headquarters staff in 1978 and progressed through a variety of assignments in materials management, quality, and manufacturing.

• John Buttermore, currently vice president, powertrain manufacturing, will assume the role of vice president, manufacturing, for GM International Operations. Buttermore, 58, joined GM in 1978 after serving with the U.S. Navy. Following assignments in manufacturing engineering and plant management, Buttermore was named manufacturing manager for GM's U.S. engine plants in 1996.

• Walt Dorfstatter, currently executive director, engineering systems and operations for OnStar, will be named general manager for OnStar. Dorfstatter, 49, joined GM in 1996 and has worked in a variety of positions at OnStar. He has held his current position since 2005.

• Jon Lauckner, currently vice president, global program management, will become vice president, global product planning. Lauckner, 51, joined GM in 1979 at Buick and held a number of engineering, product line management, marketing and planning positions.

• Terry Woychowski, currently executive director, global vehicle chief engineers, will become vice president, global program management, replacing Lauckner. Woychowski, 53, has been with GM for more than 29 years. He has been chief engineer for GM's line of full-sized pickups and SUVs since 1997.

• Denny Mooney, vice president, global vehicle systems and integration, has elected to retire, effective Oct. 1. Mooney, 53, joined GM in 1978 as a college graduate in training at Oldsmobile and held a number of engineering and business-team management positions. In 2001 he was named executive director, vehicle performance, for North American engineering.

• Gary White, North America vice president and vehicle line executive for full-sized trucks, has elected to retire Nov. 1. White, 58, started his GM career at Lordstown, Ohio, and held various engineering and management positions at Buick, the Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac division and Cadillac division.

"Today's announcements, in addition to the moves that we've announced throughout the month of July, complete the changes to GM's senior leadership team," Henderson said in the statement.

Link: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...173361846737995

I see Fritz continues to put GME employees in senior positions while sacking those who were against GME, poor Denny Mooney the former Director of Holden, I guess he backed the wrong horse.

Oh by the way the Teutonic Börger Biatch is back. I start at the new General Motors Company on September 1st. I look forward to my new responsibilities, not sure everyone will be as happy as I am about it though ...

Edited July 30, 2009 by PCS

[Justin Bimmer]

A lot of information to digest there.

[Drew Dowdell]

We're doomed then.

[Blake Noble]

OH $h!! SHE'S GOING DOWN!

[BigPontiac]

Oh by the way the Teutonic Börger Biatch is back. I start at the new General Motors Company on September 1st. I look forward to my new responsibilities, not sure everyone will be as happy as I am about it though ...

What happened to BMW?

[Z-06]

Honeymoon with BMW ended with abortion?

I kinda knew you would come back here considering your wife bought a GXP. Too good a car to lay in a garage in Delaware. Welcome back PCS.

[hyperv6]

Hmmm!

On July 14th PCS Quote on C&G.

I suspect GM will fail, they will liquidate within 2 to 3 years ...

To July 31 PCS Quote on C&G

Oh by the way the Teutonic Börger Biatch is back. I start at the new General Motors Company on September 1st. I look forward to my new responsibilities, not sure everyone will be as happy as I am about it though ...

Guess things were not as bad as you thought?

Edited July 30, 2009 by hyperv6

[smk4565]

They should have hired someone from Mercedes to be head of engineering.

[cletus8269]

They should have hired someone from Mercedes to be head of engineering.

hmm lets see how'd that work out the last time they had those people pair up with another company...

[Justin Bimmer]

hmm lets see how'd that work out the last time they had those people pair up with another company...

I was thinking the same thing.

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Welcome to the new GM PCS. I had this odd feeling you were coming back reading some of the threads a week or so ago. I guess your name is Eric Stevens? I never knew your real name. You told me to contact you, but I did not know how. I still do not.

I read all those changes. That was more than last week. These people are not playing. They are really trying to reshape the company. I hope they change the way they do business. This is big news indeed.

Also, I noticed a lot of these people are GM Europe. There is something going on. Most of the GM North America people are being "retired". I guess they ran the business different at GM Europe than they did here. We of course know how it was run here and what it costs us. This has been in the making.

I still say they are not going to just walk away and give up on Opel and Vauxhall. I know GM wants it back totally.

I was reading something else today and I asked myself why doesn't GM just have Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick Pontiac Oldsmobile GMC as one group? The Pontiac and Olds and Buick aspect would not have full lines. I know this is not possible, but the thought came to me. Pontiac would have its true few performance cars, and Buick would cater to entry level luxury owners and Oldsmobile to American traditionalists.

One dealer, one stop shopping. I guess the remaining brands have to be fixed and repaired. These guys have a lot of work ahead.

Edited July 30, 2009 by NINETY EIGHT REGENCY

[Justin Bimmer]

98, I don't think he is Eric Stevens. This is what Eric Stevens looks like:

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

98, I don't think he is Eric Stevens. This is what Eric Stevens looks like:

Oh okay... I am sorry.. I do not know who he is then. What is PCS's name?

I am still thinking about the other things I said too. I still say something long term and bigger is going on. They are rebuilding this company.

[hyperv6]

98, I don't think he is Eric Stevens. This is what Eric Stevens looks like:

Maybe that is not Eric Stevens and really is PCS.

This guy looks like he acts sometimes.

Who took my Stapler!

[FAPTurbo]

Aw, you beat me to it.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Awwww, I feel the love ...

[Oracle of Delphi]

Welcome to the new GM PCS. I had this odd feeling you were coming back reading some of the threads a week or so ago. I guess your name is Eric Stevens? I never knew your real name. You told me to contact you, but I did not know how. I still do not.

You can reach me by sending an E-Mail to, [email protected] . It's a gaming clan E-Mail for when I play online games.

[hyperv6]

Aw, you beat me to it.

Poor Eric.

At least he is well paid.

Edited July 31, 2009 by hyperv6

[Chazman]

Oh by the way the Teutonic Börger Biatch is back. I start at the new General Motors Company on September 1st. I look forward to my new responsibilities, not sure everyone will be as happy as I am about it though ...

Good to see you back at GM -------I think. The only thing that would make me happy is a speedier development of Alpha. Perhaps you can light a fire under someone, PCS.

[Drew Dowdell]

They should have hired someone from Mercedes to be head of engineering.

$120 for an oil change? I. Don.t. Think. So.

[Drew Dowdell]

Also, I noticed a lot of these people are GM Europe. There is something going on. Most of the GM North America people are being "retired". I guess they ran the business different at GM Europe than they did here. We of course know how it was run here and what it costs us. This has been in the making.

Yes. They ran it even less profitably than GMNA.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Well then, I guess congratulations are on order for your return to GM come September 1 (ironically, that's the day I return back to work myself!!).

[ZL-1]

Yes. They ran it even less profitably than GMNA.

From reported figures, yes.... but how do you, I or anyone outside of GM's Finance staff know that? Those reported figures are the same that could include corporate overheads designed to move money into the US...

[67impss]

From reported figures, yes.... but how do you, I or anyone outside of GM's Finance staff know that? Those reported figures are the same that could include corporate overheads designed to move money into the US...

More like keep $ out of the USA as we have the 2nd highest corporate tax rate in the world.

[regfootball]

apparently the ugly bangleness of the x6, and those putrid new sportback 3 and 5 series only showed the borger that BMW was headed for a major decline.