GM Canada Leadership Changes Announced: Marissa West Named GM Canada President and Managing Director; Scott Bell Takes Lead for Chevrolet as Vice President Global Chevrolet
2022-03-28
OSHAWA, Ont. (March 28) – General Motors today announced the appointment of Marissa West, currently executive chief engineer Global Mid-Size Truck & Medium Duty Truck, to president and managing director for GM Canada reporting to Steve Carlisle, executive vice president and president, North America.
Scott Bell, currently president and managing director GM Canada will repatriate to the United States to lead the Chevrolet brand as vice president global Chevrolet also continuing to report to Steve Carlisle. The transition will begin immediately.
Marissa West Appointed President and Managing Director of GM Canada
Marissa West, currently executive chief engineer Global Mid-Size Truck, Medium Duty Truck brings extensive experience to her new role as president and managing director of GM Canada. For the past three years, Marissa has led the design, engineering and development of several key programs within the GM truck family. Prior to that, she was director, Global Noise & Vibration and Vehicle Dynamics Center after holding various leadership roles throughout the Global Product Development organization.
West holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University. Marissa has four children with her husband Bob, and they look forward to immersing their family into Canada.
“It’s a great honour to take on the role of GM Canada president and managing director at such as pivotal time for both our company and our industry in Canada,” said West. “I am passionate about innovation, and I can’t wait to support our people and partners as we unleash our talent and ideas to drive the transformation of the automotive industry.”
Scott Bell Appointed Vice President Global Chevrolet
Scott Bell has been president and managing director of GM Canada since September 2019. During this time, he led the Canadian Executive Council and GM Canada’s Board of Directors and served as the chair of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association. Scott first joined GM Canada as vice president of Sales, Service and Marketing in 2018.
Under Bell’s leadership, GM Canada achieved profitable sales growth and built strong relationships with the Canadian dealer network. Scott led GM Canada through the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic including the production of 10 million face masks for the Government of Canada. He also led significant investments in Canadian manufacturing operations including the reopening of Oshawa Assembly and converting CAMI Assembly to produce BrightDrop electric delivery vans — CAMI will be Canada’s first large-scale EV plant.
“I want to thank all my fellow GM Canada employees, our great Canadian dealers and our many other partners across Canada for their support during my time as president,” said Bell. “I look forward to leading the global Chevrolet brand and working closely with our dealer network to prepare for our all-electric future.”
A Message from Marissa West:
It’s a great honour to take on the role of GM Canada president and managing director at such a pivotal time for both our company and our industry in Canada. I am passionate about innovation, and I can’t wait to support our people and partners as we unleash our talent and ideas to drive the transformation of the automotive industry.
Under Scott Bell’s leadership, the team at GM Canada emerged from the pandemic with remarkable sales and business results, true community leadership and the announcement of transformational new investments in manufacturing, the EV battery supply chain, and in engineering and R&D. I want to build on that leadership by ensuring our dealers and customers are supported and prepared to embrace connected services and our all-electric future.
With GM Canada manufacturing now growing quickly, another priority will be the launch of new vehicles including Canada’s first scale electric-vehicle production at CAMI later this year. I can’t wait to explore ways to leverage our Canadian Technical Centre (CTC) as a hotbed of GM talent and innovation, for the advancement of our new software-enabled vehicles. And I plan to continue spending time on improving gender equity, diversity and accessibility, in the workplace and in our vehicles.
My family and I could not be more excited to become part of this amazing country, culture and innovative community.
A Message from Scott Bell:
I am honoured and excited to take on a new global position to lead the Chevrolet brand, which will play a key role in GM’s all-electric future. I am also extremely pleased for Marissa West, who will be an outstanding leader for GM Canada.
Thank you to my fellow GM Canada employees, our great Canadian dealers, Unifor and our many other partners across the country for their support during my time as president.
Our team tackled huge challenges and together we triumphed with creative solutions for Canadians, our customers and our communities. We set many new sales records working with our great dealers. I’m certain that will continue. Our product portfolio for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac has never been stronger and with so many new EVs and connected services coming to market, GM Canada is well-positioned to maintain momentum and serve our customers all across this amazing country.
I am especially proud of the reopening of Oshawa Assembly in November 2021 with over half of our new production hires being women. And we are charging ahead to make CAMI Assembly in Ingersoll Canada’s first large-scale EV plant with production of BrightDrop’s electric commercial delivery van to begin this fall. Our R&D and engineering leadership at GM’s Canadian Technology Centre (CTC) is also truly the best in Canada.
Above all, this business is about people and support for the communities where we live and work. From answering the Government of Canada’s call to help Canadians during the COVID-19 by producing 10 million face masks for the Public Health Agency of Canada, to partnering with dealers to support the Durham Children’s Aid Foundation in honour of the legacy of Sharon Clark, I’m so proud that we have made a difference for those who need it most.
To our employees in Oshawa, Ingersoll, St. Catharines, Markham, Kapuskasing and in all our parts, sales, service and customer support teams across Canada, thank you.
About General Motors Canada
General Motors of Canada is headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario and is part of a global company that is committed to delivering safer, better and more sustainable ways for people to get around. In Canada, General Motors markets Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles through our strong Canadian network of dealers, as well as OnStar services. More information can be found at www.gm.ca or by following @GMCanada on Twitter and Instagram.
À propos de General Motors du Canada
General Motors du Canada, dont le siège social est situé à Oshawa, en Ontario, fait partie d’une entreprise mondiale qui s’engage à offrir aux gens des solutions de transport plus sécuritaires, plus efficaces et plus écologiques. Au Canada, General Motors distribue les véhicules Chevrolet, Buick, GMC et Cadillac par l’intermédiaire de son solide réseau de concessionnaires du Canada, en plus d’offrir les services OnStar. Pour en savoir plus sur GM Canada, visitez le www.gm.ca ou abonnez-vous à @GMCanada sur Twitter et Instagram.