General Motors Korea announced this week that CEO James Kim has tendered his resignation after a year and a half in the role. Kim, who was appointed president and CEO of GM Korea Company on January 1st, 2016, will stay on with the company through August 31st before leaving for an expanded role with the American Chamber of Commerce of Korea.
According to Automotive News, General Motors spokeswoman Jina Hwang confirmed that the company has not yet determined Kim’s replacement, but it expects to do so within the coming weeks.
Kim’s departure from GM Korea will not be absolute, however, as he intends to stay on board as an advisor. The Korea Times reports that Kim’s role as an advisor will take effect September 1st, 2017.
Kim originally joined GM Korea in the role of president and COO in June 2015 after a six-plus-year tenure as the country manager and CEO of Microsoft Korea. Prior to his time at Microsoft, Kim—who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from UCLA and an MBA from Harvard University—served as the CEO of Yahoo! Korea and the Asia regional vice president of Overture.
Stefan Jacoby, president of GM International, issued the following statement with regards to Kim’s departure:
“We thank Jim for his contributions to GM Korea over the past two years. He has been a tireless promoter of our company. Jim has driven domestic sales, helped build the equity of our brands, and reached out to our customers in new and innovative ways.”
Jeffrey Jones, head of the American Chamber of Commerce of Korea’s Search Committee, stated that the organization concluded that Kim was uniquely qualified for the role for his standing as a Korean-American and his demonstrated leadership skills.
News Sources: Automotive News (subscription required), The Korea Times
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