DETROIT, July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Three General Motors executives with international experience were named today to lead GM's operations in Korea, Canada and Mexico.

The appointments, effective Aug. 1, were announced by Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner:

Michael Grimaldi, who has been president and general manager of GM of Canada since January 2002, was appointed president and CEO of GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. He will succeed and report to Nick Reilly, who recently was named GM group vice president and president of GM Asia Pacific.

Arturo Elias, president and managing director of GM de Mexico since March 2001, will replace Grimaldi as president and managing director of GM of Canada. He will report to Troy Clarke, GM group vice president and president of GM North America.

Kevin Williams, who has been assistant managing director and manufacturing director of GM de Mexico since June 2005, will replace Elias as president and managing director. He also will report to Clarke.

"Michael, Arturo and Kevin are outstanding global executives," Wagoner said. "Their deep operational experience will provide for a smooth transition in leadership in each of these key operating units. GM Daewoo, GM of Canada and GM de Mexico are integral parts of GM's global operations, and we look forward to their continued progress and growth under Michael's, Arturo's and Kevin's leadership." Grimaldi, 54, began his GM career in 1976, and advanced through positions in vehicle planning, corporate finance, engineering and manufacturing project management. He was appointed executive director of planning for North America in 1993, and two years later was named GM vice president and vehicle line executive for full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. He was named general manager of field sales, service, and parts for GM's U.S. operations in 1999.

Grimaldi has a bachelor's degree in engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Stanford University. He also attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology program for senior executives. Elias, 51, joined GM in 1978 as a manufacturing engineer with Delco Electronics. Between 1984 and 1991, he held various finance positions in several countries, including senior analyst with the GM Treasurer's Office in New York, manager of European borrowings & foreign exchange in Brussels, treasurer of GM de Mexico, and finance director of GM Venezuela.

In 1993, Elias became managing director of GM Chile. >From 1996 to 1999, Elias held various positions in product development, including responsibilities for full-size trucks at the former GM Truck Group. In addition, he was named vehicle line executive for compact vehicles at Adam Opel in Russelsheim, Germany, with responsibility for the Opel Astra and Zafira. In 2000, Elias was named managing director of GM Argentina before he was appointed to his current position. Elias holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and a master's degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University. He earned an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Williams, 44, began his GM career in 1983 as a reliability analyst at Buick City in Flint, Mich. He held several supervisory and engineering posts from 1989 through 1997, when he moved to GM Europe to become executive director of supplier quality. He subsequently held several positions in GM Worldwide Purchasing, and was named GM North America vice president of quality in 2003.

Williams has a bachelor's degree in business management from Tennessee State University and an MBA from Central Michigan University. General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. More information on GM can be found at http://www.gm.com. SOURCE General Motors Corporation.

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