Holden boss Gerry Dorizas resigns

The boss of Holden, Gerry Dorizas, has left the troubled car company unexpectedly, just six months after taking on the role.
 
Greek-born Mr Dorizas was the fifth boss of Holden in six years and the first person in decades to be hired from outside General Motors.
 
Prior to his Holden appointment in March 2014, Mr Dorizas had worked for Volkswagen in India since 2007, and Mercedes-Benz, Fiat and Hyundai prior to that appointment.
 
A statement from Holden said: “Mr Gerry Dorizas has resigned from the position of Chairman and Managing Director of GM Holden to pursue other opportunities, effective immediately.”

President of General Motors’ international operations, Stefan Jacoby, said Mr Dorizas had taken the Holden role at a difficult period and had implemented a number of measures to transform the business from a vehicle manufacturer to an importer.

“General Motors is 100 per cent committed to the Holden brand and its long term success in Australia,” Mr Jacoby said in a media statement. 

Holden Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Rolfs, will serve as interim managing director during the search for a permanent replacement.
 
Mr Rolfs, from Canada, has been with General Motors for 22 years but only arrived at Holden six months ago.
 
Mr Dorizas made headlines when, in his first interview with Australian media, he boldly claimed that Holden would overtake Toyota as the top-selling brand by 2020.
 
It was regarded as a big call because Holden had just posted its lowest sales in 19 years and hadn’t been number one for 11 years.
 
It is likely the new boss of Holden will come from within the General Motors world.
 
The eight Holden bosses before Mr Dorizas came from General Motors’ operations in North America, Britain and Germany.
 
The last Australian to run Holden (from 1987 to 1990) was the late John Bagshaw, the son of a Holden dealership sales manager.
 
News Corp Australia understands General Motors interviewed several Australian-based automotive executives last year -- several months before the former boss Mike Devereux announced his departure -- but none were deemed suitable.