GM execs Batey, Boler Davis to leave company

DETROIT — General Motors' North American president, Alan Batey, and head of global manufacturing operations, Alicia Boler Davis, are leaving the automaker effective April 1.

Batey, a 40-year veteran of the company, will retire, while Boler Davis is leaving "to pursue other opportunities," GM said in separate announcements. 

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, on Thursday reported Boler Davis will take a position at Amazon Inc., which earlier this month was announced as the lead company in a $700 million investment round in electric vehicle startup Rivian. The newspaper did not report her expected position with the online retail giant.  

Succeeding Batey, 56, will be Barry Engle, president of GM International, in the new position of executive vice president and president of the Americas, the automaker said Thursday.

Gerald Johnson, currently vice president of North American manufacturing and labor relations, will replace Boler Davis, 49, who started her career with the automaker in 1994.

A company spokesman said the executive changes are unrelated to the automaker's plans to cut 15 percent of its salaried work force in North America, including 25 percent of its global executives.

Johnson, 56, will join the GM senior leadership team and report to CEO Mary Barra. Engle, who was already a member of the leadership team, will continue to report to Barra.

Batey, according to GM, will be an adviser to Engle, 55, to "assist in a smooth transition."

"As our company continues to streamline operations, simplify our systems and refine our global go-to-market strategies, I see Barry as the perfect leader to continue our transformation in each of these markets," Barra said in a statement.

Julian Blissett, currently GM-SAIC executive vice president in China, will succeed Engle as senior vice president of GM's international operations. Blissett, 52, will have responsibility for GM's operations outside of the Americas and China. He will also report to Barra.

GM is expected to name a replacement for Johnson at a later date. That person will lead what are expected to be contentious contract negotiations between the automaker and UAW later this year. The current contract expires Sept. 14.

The executive shuffle is the latest for GM as it attempts to evolve its business operations and focus more resources on service-based initiatives and emerging technologies such as electrified and autonomous vehicles.

Other high-profile departures this year include Julia Steyn, head of urban mobility and the Maven brand, who left the company last month; Tim Mahoney, Global Chevrolet chief marketing officer, who will retire effective March 1; and President Dan Ammann, who as of Jan. 1 became CEO of the automaker's Cruise autonomous vehicle subsidiary.

Last year, GM CFO Chuck Stevens retired in March and Jose Tomas, GM chief human resources officer, departed for “personal reasons” after less than eight months with the automaker in February. 
 
Cadillac’s leadership team also was overhauled with Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen was ousted from the automaker in April; Cadillac CMO Uwe Ellinghaus resigning as of Dec. 31, 2017; and Melody Lee, head of Book by Cadillac vehicle subscription service, departing in August.  

Since succeeding GM President Mark Reuss as the head of North American operations in 2014, Batey — a 2016 Automotive News All-Star — has led the charge for the automaker's shift to crossovers and other utility vehicles as well as new internal offerings and tools for dealers.

"Alan and his team have achieved record financial performance and created a customer-focused foundation, and we greatly appreciate what he has contributed to GM over his almost 40 years of service across the globe," Barra said.

Batey also has led Global Chevrolet since July 2013. Engle also will assume those responsibilities, including responsibility over Chevrolet's marketing, which recently came under fire for a national television commercial that claimed the brand had better reliability than Toyota, Ford and Honda, among other brands. The ad, following at least one potential threat of legal action, was pulled off the air in January.

Prior to his current roles, Batey was GM vice president, U.S. sales and service and interim GM chief marketing officer from 2012 to 2013 and vice president, U.S. Chevrolet sales and service, from 2010 to 2012. A native of the United Kingdom, Batey began his career with GM in 1979 as a mechanical engineering apprentice for the company's Vauxhall operation in the United Kingdom.

Engle joined GM as executive vice president and president, South America, in September 2015. In October 2017, it was announced that his duties would expand to include all operations outside North America and China.

The fact GM is allowing Boler Davis — named one of Automotive News' 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry in 2010 and 2015 — to remain with the company until April 1 suggests she is not leaving the company to work for a direct competitor.

Boler Davis, who has worked alongside Barra for decades, began her GM career in 1994 as a manufacturing engineer at the midsize/luxury car division in Warren, Mich. During her 25-year career, she has held many positions of increasing responsibility in manufacturing, engineering and product development.

She has been leading GM's global manufacturing operations, manufacturing engineering and labor relations organizations since June 2016. Before then, she served in several high-profile roles in customer experience and global quality. She, like Barra, also was a plant manager.

"I'd like to thank Alicia for her 25 years of dedicated service to GM and for her leadership in driving both business results and culture change," Barra said. "Alicia and I have worked together for many years and I appreciate her many contributions. I wish her and her family all the best."

Boler Davis, GM said, will assist in transitioning Johnson into her position immediately.

Prior to leading North American manufacturing, Johnson worked in several leadership positions, including vice president of operational excellence and executive director of global program quality and launch, where he led several key quality initiatives to improve global product launches.

Johnson joined the automaker in 1980 at the former Fisher Body Plant in Euclid, Ohio.