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News of  December 12, 2001

Rudy Schlais To Retire From General Motors, Fritz Henderson To Lead GM Asia Pacific

• GM of Canada's Kempston Darkes to Replace Henderson
• Grimaldi to Replace Kempston Darkes in Canada
• SPO's Smith to Replace Grimaldi

Maureen Kempston Darkes, GM vice president and president of GM of Canada Ltd., will replace Henderson, also effective Jan. 1. With this promotion, Kempston Darkes will join GM's Automotive Strategy Board and report to Rick Wagoner, president and chief executive officer.

"Rudy has been the chief architect and builder of our aggressive Asia Pacific growth strategy over the past three years, and has delivered excellent business results," Wagoner said. "Our alliance strategy is beginning to bear fruit, our China operations are a real success story, as is the GM-Thailand assembly plant, while Holden is a terrific benchmark for the rest of GM and the industry in terms of product leadership, sales growth and profitability. Rudy leaves an impressive legacy upon which Fritz can build.

Before his current assignment, Schlais had been president of GM China from October 1994 to June 1998. In that post, he was responsible for GM's aggressive growth plan in China, including the company's successful venture in Shanghai.

Schlais, 61, began his GM career at the former Packard Electric Division in 1960, and held various positions in manufacturing, product engineering, plant supervision, corporate planning and sales with international responsibility. He became general manager of New Departure Hyatt in Sandusky, Ohio, in 1987 and the Delco Products Division in Kettering, Ohio, in 1989. He was appointed general manager of Packard Electric in 1989. Schlais sits on the boards of Isuzu Motors Ltd. and Fuji Heavy Industries, and is chairman of the board of governors of the National Center for APEC.

Henderson, 43, was named GM group vice president and president of LAAM regional operations on June 1, 2000. He had been a GM vice president and managing director of GM do Brasil since May 1, 1997, with responsibilities for the automaker's operations in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

He joined GM in 1984 as a senior analyst in the Treasurer's Office in New York. He held a variety of financial assignments in New York from 1984 to 1989, when he transferred to GMAC as director of mortgage banking. Henderson held several executive positions at GMAC through 1994, when he was promoted to executive in charge of operations for the former Automotive Components Group in Pontiac, Mich., in 1994. He became a GM vice president and general manager of Delphi Saginaw in 1996.

Kempston Darkes, 53, was appointed president and general manager of GM of Canada and a GM vice president in July 1994. After joining the GM of Canada legal staff in 1975, she held several jobs of increasing responsibility in the legal and public policy areas with both the corporate legal staff in Detroit and at GM of Canada, with a stint in the treasurer's office in New York from 1985 to 1987.

She was named GM of Canada vice president of corporate affairs in 1991 and elected to its Board of Directors. She took on additional duties as general counsel and secretary of GM of Canada in July 1992. In her current position, she also serves on the board of CAMI Automotive, GM's joint venture in Canada with Suzuki Motor Corp.

Michael Grimaldi, 49, GM vice president and general manager of field sales, service and parts for North America, will replace Kempston Darkes as president of GM of Canada, effective Jan. 1. Grimaldi has been in his current position since July 1, 1999. He previously served as a GM vice president and vehicle line executive for full-size trucks since November 1995. In his new post, he will report to Gary Cowger, GM group vice president and president of GM North America.

Grimaldi began his GM career in 1976 with the worldwide product planning staff in Detroit. He joined the corporate financial staff in 1978. In the 1980s, he progressed through several planning and marketing positions at the former Fisher Body Division, the corporate comptroller's staff, the former Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac Group, the Pontiac and Oldsmobile divisions. In 1992, Grimaldi became finance director for the North American marketing operations, and a year later he was named executive director of North American Operations Planning and a member of the NAO Strategy Board.

John Smith, GM vice president of Service Parts Operations, will replace Grimaldi as vice president of sales, service and parts. He will report to Bill Lovejoy, GM group vice president of North American Vehicle Sales, Service & Marketing. Smith has been in his current position since February 2000. His previous posts included GM vice president and general manager of Cadillac, president of Allison Transmission, and vice president of planning for GM Europe.

Smith, 50, joined GM in June 1968 at the former Chevrolet-Kansas City assembly plant. Smith later joined the Treasurer's Office in New York and held several analytical and executive positions before moving to the comptroller's staff in 1982, where he was responsible for forward product programs activity. In 1983, he joined Pontiac as assistant comptroller and moved to the former Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac Group in 1984. In 1985, he assumed responsibility for managing development and sourcing of vehicles from GM joint-venture partners Isuzu, Suzuki, Daewoo and Toyota (NUMMI). In 1987, Smith returned to the B-O-C Group as director of planning, where he remained until his move to GM Europe.

Smith's replacement will be named at a later date.

(December 7, 2001)

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