GM: Nick Reilly to Temporarily Head Opel and Vauxhall after Carl-Peter Forster's Resignation

As many anticipated, General Motors announced today that the company's executive vice president and head of international operations, Nick Reilly, will take over responsibilities for the operations of Opel and Vauxhall Europe. Reilly, 59, will replace Carl-Peter Forster, who left his position as CEO of GM Europe after the company's decision to reverse a plan to sell control of Opel and Vauxhall to Magna International and Russia's OAO Sberbank.

General Motors pretty much made it clear that Reilly will take the job on an interim basis as the external search for a new CEO of its European operations commences.

"As we announced last Tuesday, Opel/Vauxhall will remain a fully integrated member of the New GM family, a decision that is in the best interests of Opel/Vauxhall, its customers, employees, other stakeholders and GM," said Fritz Henderson, GM president and CEO.

"With his deep experience with the Opel and Vauxhall brands, Nick is well suited to lead this transition and to work toward the earliest possible normalization of the business," Henderson added.

The company said that GM Europe vice president Engineering, managing director Adam Opel GmbH, Hans Demant, will keep his role leading the Opel Management Board and will work with Reilly during this transitional phase.