GM Opens Regional HQ

General Motors officially opens its new regional headquarters in Singapore that will oversee its consolidated international operations in six key markets: Africa, Australia, India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South Korea.

The office is staffed by about 200 employees, including 100 local hires.

GM President Dan Ammann, who traveled to Singapore for the opening ceremony, says GM International plays a critical role in the company’s growth strategy.

“We’re creating a renewed identity for the region,” he says in a statement. “Establishing this headquarters in Singapore has put us closer to our key markets and will provide links to the broader business community as well as access to world-class infrastructure and talent.”

GM Executive Vice President and GM International President Stefan Jacoby says GMI is focused on becoming a strong competitor with its Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, Opel and Holden brands.

“The Singapore team will work closely with our individual markets to help drive their success, as we continue to launch 40 new models across the region by the end of 2015 and to define the strategy for our future presence in these important markets,” he says.

Singapore Economic Development Board Deputy Managing Director Quek Swee Kuan says it makes sense to base operations in the city-state of Singapore.

“As Asia’s burgeoning middle class fuels rapid growth in demand for automobiles, global companies such as GM are choosing to leverage Singapore’s well-established and unique ecosystem of logistics infrastructure, supply-chain management talent and professional services to drive their regional strategy and capture the growth of the automotive segment in Asia,” he says.