GM’s interimitis is turning into a chronic disease. First, Whitacre becomes interim replacement of Henderson, and is in no hurry to give up the job. Then, in November 2009. Nick Reilly becomes interim head of GM Europe while GM is supposedly searching for a replacement of Carl-Peter Forster. In December 2009, the interim boss was installed as permanent chief of GM Europe. Now, Reilly will be named permanent CEO of Opel, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Reilly is replacing former Opel Chief Hans Demant. Demant was very quiet during the Opel soap opera, while labor leader Klaus Franz, and much later Nick Reilly took the limelight.
According to the FAZ’s sources in the supervisory board of Opel, Reilly will be officially installed in the next meeting of the board, which is scheduled for January 15th. In the meeting, Reilly will present his new leadership team, writes Automobilwoche [sub]. Demant’s future is unknown. If Reilly would not take over Opel, he would be out of a job: GM Europe will be dissolved. Opel, Chevrolet, and (at the time of this writing) Saab will be run as separate entities in Europe.
