Craig Glidden has begun to put together a team of public policy heavyweights in Washington as General Motors accelerates its transition toward electrification.

In June, Glidden’s role as general counsel was expanded to include global public policy. Since joining GM in 2015, Glidden has transformed the automaker’s global legal operations to support its “zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion” vision.

GM plans to launch 30 EVs globally and invest $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicle development through 2025. The automaker hopes to have an all-electric light-vehicle portfolio by 2035. GM executives have emphasized that regulatory involvement is needed to accelerate EV adoption. An expanded presence in Washington will give GM a stronger voice on policies and investments that support EV adoption. The automaker has advocated for more incentives on EVs and for a broader, nationwide charging network.

Two months after his promotion, Glidden, 63, named Omar Vargas, who had been senior vice president and chief government affairs officer for 3M Co., its vice president and head of global public policy. 

In September, GM announced that David Strickland, who was NHTSA’s administrator from 2010 to 2014, would be vice president of global regulatory affairs, reporting to Vargas. Before joining GM, Strickland was staff director of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.