GM Names Sedran to Lead Chevrolet in Europe

VIENNA – General Motors appoints Thomas Sedran, 48, president and managing director-Chevrolet Europe, effective July 1.

In this position, he also will be responsible for Cadillac activities.

At Chevrolet Europe, Sedran will succeed Susan Docherty, who has elected to leave GM after 27 years with the auto maker to spend time with her family. She took over as head of Chevrolet Europe in January 2012.

Sedran has served as a member of the Adam Opel management board in charge of operations, business development and corporate strategy since April 1, 2012.

Following the resignation of then Opel chief Karl-Friedrich Stracke, Sedran was appointed deputy chairman of Opel’s management board last July and acted as chairman until March 1, when Karl-Thomas Neumann took over as the new permanent chairman.

“I'm looking forward to overseeing GM's two iconic global brands, Chevrolet and Cadillac, here in Europe,” Sedran says in a prepared statement. “With the recent introduction of the Trax and the upcoming Corvette Stingray, Chevrolet has one of the freshest portfolios in the industry. Cadillac is entering new segments, with the ATS giving us the opportunity to win new customers for the brand.”

Sedran, a native of Germany, spent much of his career as a management consultant. He earlier worked for Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, where he last was in charge of the Competence Automotive Center on a global level.

Prior to joining Opel, Sedran was in charge of automotive business affairs for global management consultants AlixPartners, based in Munich, Germany, for six years. In that position, he worked closely with Opel.

Sedran has a master's degree in business administration from the University of Hohenheim in Germany and a Ph.D. from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.