• Ronald Balit, currently Product Marketing Manager, steps into the role of Communications Director, GM Africa & Middle East
  • Sharon Nishi, former Chief Marketing Officer, has been appointed Managing Director GM Egypt and North Africa since August of this year, while Sean Poppit, current Director of Communications has been named Executive Director, Buick and GMC Communications, and will relocate to Detroit
  • The announcement follows the recent appointment of Jack Uppal as GM Africa & Middle East Operations President and Managing Director

MIDDLE EAST – General Motors Africa and Middle East (GM AMEO) continues to pioneer the future of mobility in the region, while also providing world class cars, trucks and SUVs. Effective from 1 November 2022, the newest members of the leadership team will be driving forward the Marketing and Communications operations GM and its’ vehicle brands to ensure continued growth and innovation around the region.  

Current President and Managing Director of GM Africa & Middle East, Luay Al Shurafa shared, “We have cemented our standing as a trusted automaker in the region, and in the past years, are building on this identity to transition into a platform innovator, making strides towards electrifying the future of mobility.  It is a pleasure to welcome onboard Suzie Guzzo and Ronald Balit to their new regional leadership roles, given their respective extensive insights into our brand equity and vision for growth. I am confident they will amplify our work towards GM’s regional ambidextrous strategy and ambition for a future of Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion. I’d like to thank Sharon and Sean for their valued contributions and leadership and wish them the best in their roles with GM.”

As Chief Marketing Officer for the Africa and Middle East region, replacing Sharon Nishi, Suzie Guzzo will lead the teams across brand marketing, product marketing, martech ecosystems and technology, and retail marketing, digital marketing, retail, customer and product experiences for Chevrolet and GMC. In her previous role as Director of Global Brand Experience at General Motors, Guzzo proved instrumental in driving the evolution of Cadillac’s customer experience and brand marketing to align with the needs of the luxury customer. Underpinning her work in this space, was her dedication to bringing to life Cadillac’s EV leadership story and its unique luxury customer experience on this front.

“The region is a critical market for GM, offering immense promise on the EV front, spanning public appetite for electrification, wider government ambitions focused on green mobility and various net zero targets. This is truly an incredible opportunity, to be able to expand on my understanding of the landscape in the Middle East and Africa, as well as grow my work with Cadillac brand positioning, to take on the reins across the wider nameplates. Sharon played a monumental role in generating positive brand awareness and growing our market share during her tenure, in a time of uncertainty, post pandemic.  I am keen to build on this, to drive anticipation for the exciting launches in the works, across internal combustion engine vehicles as well as our electric portfolio, soon to make their mark on the region” shared Suzie.

The role of GM AMEO Communications Director will see Ronald Balit leading corporate, brand and digital communications strategies across the region.  Drawing from over two decades of media, communications and marketing experience, his insights will be key in shaping communications principles and storytelling to engage stakeholders in the move towards an all-electric future. Ronald is well versed in GM’s vision, strategy and execution plans, having held various roles with the leading automaker since 2015, across product and internal communications, as well as in the marketing space.

“I look forward to bring to the table an in-depth understanding of our industry and the customers it serves, a passion and desire to connect with our customers and prospects through innovative communications strategies across our storied brands. Building on the outstanding work that has been done by the team in the recent years, our work in the near term will be crucial in order to accelerate and sustain our vision for an all-electric future and reshape the industry. I also welcome the chance to further elevate our business regionally, across continents.” commented Ronald.

The latest updates on the leadership team will further fortify GM AMEO’s efforts to roll out 13 EVs by 2025, across its brands, while also reshaping connectivity and safety within mobility in the region.

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About General Motors Africa & Middle East Operations

General Motors is a global company committed to delivering safer, better and more sustainable ways for people to get around. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun and Wuling brands, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security services.

The GM Africa & Middle East operations have been in the region for over 95 years, now headquartered in Dubai, UAE, with a manufacturing plant in Egypt. With a network of 17 distributors serving 29 countries, the organization has over 203 customer-facing rooftops to cater to countries in Africa, Levant, the GCC and other Middle Eastern countries. For more information, please visit www.gmarabia.com.    

CONTACTS:
Diana Al Shafie
Corporate Communications Manager
GM Africa & Middle East
Email: diana.alshafie@gm.com