According to media reports, General Motors (GM) announced on August 9 that Marissa West, President of GM North America, has left the company after just eight months in office. West had worked at GM for over 16 years since 2008, holding various engineering and management positions.
GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly stated, "Marissa West, President of North America, has decided to leave the company. She has held many leadership roles in engineering, product, and sales in the U.S. and Canada. We appreciate all her contributions and wish her the best in her next chapter."
After being promoted to President of GM North America, West became the first female president to lead GM's most profitable market. West's father, two grandfathers, a grandmother, and a great-grandfather all worked for GM, making her a fourth-generation GM employee.
In a previous statement, West said, "I have always been very interested in products and have always been very interested in the company."
West's position will be taken over by Rory Harvey, who previously held the role and has since been promoted to Global Markets President. GM announced on August 9 that Harvey would take over West's day-to-day management responsibilities, effective immediately.
This marks the latest executive change at GM North America, and the third such leadership shift in about 14 months. Harvey served as North America President from June to December last year before being promoted to his current position.
Kelly added in the statement, "GM is reducing the complexity of its organizational structure to better integrate global markets, speed up growth, and serve customers around the world. The ongoing structural adjustments will help modernize the end-to-end customer experience and create growth opportunities for our products and services."
