Cadillac Leadership Moves Drive Further Growth

[Bruce Nunnally]

New alignment supports global expansion Cadillac on Friday enhanced its leadership team with two new executive appointments aimed at extending the brand’s momentum. U.S. Vice President of Marketing Don Butler will take on the position of Global Cadillac Strategic Development vice president. Steve Majoros is named director, Global Cadillac Marketing.

DETROIT – As part of its ongoing global growth, Cadillac today enhanced its leadership team with two new executive appointments aimed at extending the brand’s momentum.

U.S. Vice President of Marketing Don Butler will take on the position of Global Cadillac Strategic Development vice president. In this newly created role, Butler will drive the next phase of Cadillac growth internationally, including new market development and strategic global planning. He will continue to report to Bob Ferguson, GM vice president, Global Cadillac.

“Cadillac is continuing to expand in our home market and globally, which demands that we continually enhance our team’s focus and capabilities,” said Ferguson. “Don’s international experience and deep product knowledge will be major assets as we take our global growth to the next level.”

Steve Majoros is named director, Global Cadillac Marketing. He will report to Ferguson and will lead the Cadillac global marketing team. In his new role, Majoros will assume responsibility for domestic and global marketing to ensure tight coordination between Cadillac’s marketing, advertising and sales field teams. Prior to joining Cadillac, Steve was managing director, Campbell-Ewald.

“Steve’s extensive expertise in automotive marketing and his proven leadership record will significantly strengthen Cadillac’s focus on global expansion,” said Ferguson. “In our continuing effort to elevate Cadillac, Steve’s unique perspective will complement our already-strong organization.”

Cadillac ended the first quarter of 2013 as the fastest growing full-line luxury brand in the United States, with sales increasing 38 percent. Brand growth has been driven by the all-new ATS sport sedan, the current North American Car of the Year, and the new XTS luxury sedan. Cadillac began the next phase of its ongoing global growth plan recently, with the start of production of the XTS in China, leading the brand’s expansion in the world’s largest luxury market. Earlier this year, Cadillac revealed the next models in its product-driven expansion, the 2014 Cadillac ELR extended range electric vehicle and the all new Cadillac CTS.

[Bruce Nunnally]

If you weren't keeping score, here was the previous announcement:

GM Names Ferguson Cadillac Global Brand Chief Exclusive marketing focus to accelerate premium luxury brand's international growth

DETROIT — General Motors today appointed senior executive Robert E. Ferguson to lead the global growth and development of the company’s iconic Cadillac brand.

In the newly created position of vice president, global Cadillac, Ferguson will be responsible for marketing, brand management and advertising for Cadillac in markets around the world. The move is effective immediately and he will report directly to GM chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. Responsibility for sales is also expected to transition to Ferguson in the new year.

“Bob is a proven leader with vision and a will to win at this critical time for Cadillac,” said Akerson. “He brings a deep business and marketing background that has been marked by delivering results at every stop and under every circumstance. The Cadillac brand will hit a higher gear under his watch."

Ferguson heads Cadillac at a time when GM's premium luxury brand is planning the most extensive round of product launches and upgrades in its history, and is poised to enter new international markets with industry-leading products like the XTS, ATS and SRX.

"I’m excited to join a talented team during a period of revitalized growth,” said Ferguson. “The opportunity to strengthen and grow Cadillac is ours for the taking. More people in new markets will experience what makes Cadillac one of the industry's most revered brands."

U.S. vice president for Cadillac marketing Don Butler and U.S. vice president for Cadillac sales and service Chase Hawkins will report to Ferguson as he begins building out his global team.

Ferguson, 53, joined GM in 2010 and is currently vice president for global public policy. He is credited with helping GM strengthen its position and voice on Capitol Hill, and with its many regulatory agencies, on a wide range of business challenges related to energy, tax, labor and finance policy. In that role, Ferguson has become particularly familiar with GM’s product portfolio and advanced technology plans as the automaker contends with new fuel economy rules and safety regulations.

Prior to joining GM, Ferguson was at the business advisory and strategic communications firm Public Strategies, where he worked with a diverse and international group of clients as a senior strategist. His work with the firm included providing international relations and crisis counsel to the president of the International Olympic Committee during the period leading up to and during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, as well as leading strategy around several high-profile and complex financial and merger and acquisition transactions.

Before joining Public Strategies, Ferguson spent more than 10 years as an executive at AT&T, most recently as the president of state legislative and regulatory affairs. He also gained a depth of experience on the sales side of the business, as group president and CEO of SBC's Enterprise Business Services. In that role, he had responsibility for 10,000 employees — one of the nation’s largest sales and engineering organizations at the time. During his tenure, Ferguson oversaw data services, Internet, long distance and customer service operations and grew revenues of $5 billion and EBIT of $1.9 billion.

Ferguson's previous responsibilities in Washington will be assumed by Selim Bingol, who will also retain his current communications role and will become vice president, global communications and public policy. Bingol, who also will serve as chairman of the GM Foundation, will continue to report directly to Akerson and remain based in Detroit.

Bingol, 52, joined GM in March 2010, having served as a senior communications and public affairs strategist for a number of large, international clients across diverse industries. Prior to GM, Bingol was senior vice president, corporate communications at AT&T, during a time of unprecedented growth, merger and acquisition activity, and federal and state regulatory scrutiny.