Kaher Kazem Named President and CEO of GM Korea; Sanjiv Gupta New President of GM India
General Motors Korea has announced Kaher Kazem as the successor to James Kim in the role of president and CEO. Kazem, the current president and managing director for GM India, is also expected to be appointed Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors.
“We are pleased to have Kaher taking over GM’s key operations in Korea,” said GM Executive Vice President and President of GM International Stefan Jacoby. “As a car guy, Kaher has had a long and distinguished career in manufacturing, business operations and leading key markets in the automotive industry. He has the experience and global perspective to lead GM Korea to a sustainable and competitive future.”
“I am excited to lead GM Korea,” said Kazem. “I will work closely with our team and business partners to turn around GM Korea’s financial performance and ensure the sustainability of our business. Chevrolet is a strong brand in Korea. I look forward to building on its success and continuing to put our customers in Korea at the center of everything we do.”
Kazem’s appointment takes effect on August 31st. He has been with General Motors for more than two decades, starting in 1995 with Holden Manufacturing Operations in Australia and working his way up to a number of key roles with GM Thailand and ASEAN, GM Uzbekistan, and GM India.
Replacing Kazem as President and Managing Director of GM India is current Chief Financial Officer Sanjiv Gupta. Gupta will retain his responsibilities as CFO while simultaneously accepting his new duties. Gupta has been part of GM since 2003; prior to taking his current position with GM India in May of last year, he served as the Finance Director of North America Financial Planning and Analysis and the Finance Director of US Sales and Marketing. His appointment takes effect September 1st.
“Sanjiv Gupta is an experienced GM leader who has been a driving force behind our strategy. Sanjiv will continue to lead our plan to achieve better financial performance in India,” said GM Executive Vice President and President of GM International Stefan Jacoby.
“GM India’s transformation is on track,” said Kazem of his successor. “The overwhelming majority of dealers have accepted our transition package, we have begun exports of Chevrolet Beat sedans to Latin America, and our consolidation of manufacturing operations continues. This is the right time to hand over responsibility to Sanjiv, who will continue to lead the business transformation.”
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