Another Holden Boss Gone

[Wretched]

Alan Batey becomes fourth MD in three years to exit Holden for another position.

Holden has lost its fourth managing director and chairman in three years, with no one announced as a successor, leaving the company virtually rudderless in uncertain times.

Englishman Alan Batey served just six months in the hot seat since his appointment in September last year, now poached by GM in Detroit to be Chevrolet's vice president of sales and service.

Mr Batey said Holden’s Chief Financial Officer, Mark Bernhard, "supported by Holden’s senior leadership team, will ensure continuity and the seamless execution of the company’s strategic plan until a replacement is named".

The announcement is somewhat of a surprise: as recently as December, a Holden spokesman told Fairfax that rumours Mr Batey would soon leave the Australian car maker were ''completely and utterly false''.

The top job at Holden has proved to be a short term proposition of recent times.

Mr Batey was appointed after his predecessor, Mark Reuss, returned to the US to take up senior positions in the midst of GM's financial meltdown last year after just 18 months in Holden's top job.

Mr Reuss replaced Chris Gubbey, who stayed just seven months in the top job, before taking up a position in GM Russia.

Mr Gubbey succeeded Denny Mooney, who returned to GM in the US in August 2007, before retiring last year.

''A replacement for Batey will be named at a later date,'' Mr Reuss said in a statement from the US Holden has called a press conference at 12.30pm today to explain the move.

At Holden before being elevated to the top position, Mr Batey was executive director of sales and marketing. He masterminded the tactic of ''ambush marketing'' by arranging a giant airship with a video screen on its flanks — unofficially dubbed the ''Holdenberg'' — to fly over major sporting events to promote the then new VE Commodore, upsetting events' official sponsors.

With so many ex-Holden chief taking up senior positions in the GM empire, speculation is rife the outgoing Mitsubishi Australia chairman and chief executive Rob McEniry, might be heading back to GM, too.

Mr McEniry, who served at GM for decades, announced last month he was leaving Mitsubishi at the end of March ''to pursue other business interests''. Are those ''interests'' at GM?

"Mr McEniry is leaving and going on to another thing, but assures us that it's not at GM, a spokeswoman for Mitsubishi Australia said. "He hasn't been approached."

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...0303-phld.html