Cadillac To Become Separate GM Unit Headquartered In New York

General Motors Cadillac brand, with operations in more than 40 countries, will become a separate business unit with a new global headquarters opening next year in the heart of New York at a multipurpose brand and event space with modern loft offices. The majority of functions with oversight and responsibility for both global and U.S. operations will be located at the new global headquarters, while there will be no change to technical product development teams located in Michigan or manufacturing and assembly operations. Cadillac management is reviewing options for which specific staffs will be based in New York and which will remain in current locations. Cadillac had 28 percent global growth last year and an increase of about 10 percent so far this year with China sales up 75 percent year to date.

Cadillac's new President Johan de Nysschen, who took over in August, will be responsible for the brand’s overall operational performance. de Nysschen came to Cadillac from Infiniti global headquarters in Hong Kong, where he ran Nissan's luxury brand, and prior to that was President of Audi of America.

Johan de Nysschen From Infiniti - And Beyond - To Cadillac

Johan de Nysschen is leaving his post as President of Nissan's Infiniti brand after two years at it's new Hong Kong headquarters and is moving to lead General Motor's Cadillac division to be closer to his family in the U.S.. Prior to Infiniti, de Nysschen was President of Audi of America.

de Nysschen, 54, as President of Cadillac, joins the GM executive leadership team as an executive vice president of the company beginning August 1st and reports to GM President Dan Ammann. de Nysschen will be responsible for all aspects of Cadillac globally including sales, pricing and network development, strategic brand development and marketing and product portfolio planning, including critical input for product engineering and design.

Johan de Nysschen Leaves Audi for Infiniti

Johan de Nysschen will join Nissan's Infiniti luxury brand as senior vice president of Nissan Motor Company in charge of the Infiniti division based in Hong Kong starting July 1st reporting to Andy Palmer, Nissan Motor Company Executive Vice President, product planning, business strategy, marketing communications and responsible for the Infiniti division.

De Nysschen just left his role as President of Audi of America which he held for the past seven years. During his 19 years at Audi he also served in executive positions in South Africa and Japan. Prior to joining Audi, de Nysschen worked for BMW in South Africa. He holds a bachelor's degree from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and an MBA from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

He moves from a U.S. position at Audi where sales records are being set monthly to a global responsibility at Infiniti, a luxury brand that is just launching a worldwide footprint. Geographically, he moves from the Washington, D.C. area to Hong Kong, the former British colony and English-speaking gateway to China and an area where one might expect a factory to be built at some point. Best of luck to Johan in his new challenge.

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