Even one resignation of a high-ranking official at a major car company would make news, but General Motors is in the difficult position of announcing two separate resignations at the same time.
The first one concerns General Motors Marketing Chief Joel Ewanick who stepped down during the weekend, with Bloomberg News reporting that he resigned because he “didn’t meet the company’s expectations of an employee,” according to an e-mailed statement it acquired from the Detroit automaker.
The 52-year old executive, who previously worked for the North American divisions of Nissan and Hyundai, joined GM in May of 2010 and was in charge of marketing for the company’s North American unit before he was named global chief marketing officer in December 2010.
Citing an unidentified source, CNBC said that GM ousted Ewanick because of a marketing deal with the Manchester United football (soccer) club. On Monday, GM issued a press release stating it has sealed the seven-year deal with the British football club for an undisclosed amount.
The second resignation comes from GM’s European unit as longtime designer David Lyon, who was named new vice president of Europe Design in June, unexpectedly left the company only days before he was supposed to take over the new high-ranking role of overseeing design for the Opel and Vauxhall brands.
“I can confirm that Dave Lyon is no longer employed with the company, and a replacement will be named later,” GM spokesman Dave Barnas told the Detroit News.
The 43-year old designer had been with GM since the 1990s and had participated in several projects including the interior design of the Chevrolet Volt, the styling of the Buick Enclave, LaCrosse, Verano and the Riviera concept, along with the Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac CTS, Escalade and Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.
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