GM to shift global Cadillac chief back to Washington policy job-source Headline is self-explanatory www.dailypress.com
DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co plans to shift its global Cadillac chief back to focus full time on his former lobbying position in Washington as the No. 1 U.S. automaker deals with fallout from defective ignition switches linked to at least 13 deaths, a person familiar with the plans said on Thursday.
Robert Ferguson, who was named senior vice president in charge of global Cadillac in October 2012, was sent last month by Chief Executive Mary Barra to Washington to steer the response to the crisis, which resulted in the recall of 2.6 million vehicles and the filing of numerous lawsuits against the company. The person asked not to be identified discussing the company's plans.
GM has not said that the job in Washington is permanent or if it removed his responsibility for Cadillac.
I saw an article on him being dispatched back to DC last month, but figured it was temporary. Nothing against him, but that's probably a better role for him to play.
Automotive News is reporting that Uwe Ellinghaus, the former BMW exec that GM appointed to Caddy's marketing spot, maybe taking over the role. That's really good news because he is a very talented professional and has a great grasp on how to expand the lineup and grow the brand internationally. He always gives a real, honest assessment about how to do it organically, and without half truths or corporate bravado. I hope Barra makes it official soon.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Barra planned to hand the Cadillac job to Uwe Ellinghaus, the brand's top marketing chief and a former executive with BMW. A Cadillac spokesman said no changes have been made to how the brand operates.
Automotive News is reporting that Uwe Ellinghaus, the former BMW exec that GM appointed to Caddy's marketing spot, maybe taking over the role. That's really good news because he is a very talented professional and has a great grasp on how to expand the lineup and grow the brand internationally. He always gives a real, honest assessment about how to do it organically, and without half truths or corporate bravado.
GM will only prosper when they have the right people in the right positions, working to the best of tier abilities for the corporation. Mark Reuss should be in charge of engineering and product development, and I'm sure we could names dozens of excellence people for specific jobs.
We also should get rid of dead wood and throw out dead-between-the-ears people.
I don't know Ferguson, but he obviously was in the wrong job. Akerson never should have been CEO of GM. The list of wrong people/jobs is nearly endless.
Mary Barra may fit in somewhere, but NOT CEO!
....and they need to stay in place long enough to accomplish something. Seems like there is way too much musical chairs at GM with staffers never getting to finish what they started and the direction constantly being changed by new leaders.
It wasn't like his talents were helping Cadillac. The infection of Arts and Scientology, inflated sticker prices, pretentious products without any hint of luxury or interior room, certainly wasn't improved with him there. And quite frankly, you could put a puppy in his place and not notice a difference.
Now that Government Motors is being pressed from every angle for being a dishonest, unethical, and murderous company, we see a shift - the need to bribe and to lobby Washington to see if the impending imprisonment of GM/Government Motors officials can be intercepted. We all know this is the new GM and that this company will fight like a contestant on "Survivor" to keep from being sued by some loophole in the law that can be found to hold a company that rises out of bankruptcy for the sins of its ashes (kinda like how Government Motors stole the losses from the dead company for its own use now).
I'd rather argue about the merits of what he has or has not done vs. what brand of suit he wears. But I don't know exactly what he has done, all I know is that Cadillac appears to be putting out some pretty amazing vehicles.
Ferguson was never really right for the job from the start IMHO. Nothing against him, but he just isn't the type of person Cadillac needs.
You don't show up to a reveal looking like this:
Sorry, you just don't. I'm not going to insult him, but this isn't exactly a "smart" looking outfit, nor does it convey the image Cadillac is going for.
Yeah, I get your point with Tim Cook, but let's face it, The tech industry has escaped the tyranny of the suit and tie. Maybe it's a California thing, maybe it's the fact it's still a very young industry. The automobile industry isn't there yet. I hope they can get there, but I don't think that's the case today.
I noticed his t-shirt showing at the ATS Coupe reveal...it was tacky. Uwe looked like a million bucks standing next to him on stage and that shouldn't be the case. It's clear who should and shouldn't be in that position.
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