Boss of Holden steps down

Gerry Dorizas has resigned after seven months as chairman and managing director of GM Holden with immediate effect to “pursue other opportunities”. Stefan Jacoby, GM’s executive vice-president and president of GM International, says the company will move quickly to find a replacement, while Dorizas took the Holden role at a “difficult period” and has implemented a number of measures to transform the business from a vehicle manufacturer to an importer. “We are focused on winning with customers in Australia and New Zealand, and are moving quickly to name the right leader to drive our brand and business to the next level,” says Jacoby. “The foundation has been built to transform GM Holden in Australia and we are determined to maintain momentum to continue to push towards our strategic objectives. “General Motors is 100 per cent committed to the Holden brand and its long-term success in Australia. We thank Gerry for his contribution to GM Holden and wish him well.” Dorizas was the fifth boss of Holden in six years and the first person in decades to be hired from outside General Motors. Prior to his Holden appointment in March 2014, he worked for Volkswagen in India since 2007, and Mercedes-Benz, Fiat and Hyundai prior to that. Dorizas made headlines when, in his first interview with Australian media, he claimed Holden would overtake Toyota as the top-selling brand by 2020. It was viewed as a big call because Holden had just posted its lowest sales in 19 years and hadn’t been number one for 11 years. The eight Holden bosses before Dorizas came from GM’s operations in North America, the UK and Germany. The last Australian to run Holden – from 1987-90 – was the late John Bagshaw, son of a Holden dealership sales manager. Chief financial officer Jeff Rolfs will replace Dorizas in the interim. Rolfs was previously vice-president of finance and chief financial officer at GM Canada, and arrived at Holden six months ago.