Bo I Andersson Leaves GM

Bo I. Andersson, head of supply management and logistics and General Motors, and the only non-American on GM's board, is leaving the troubled auto giant. He is said to become CEO at another company, although which one is not yet clear.

Andersson joined GM in the mid-1990's and became head of GM's global supply management group in 2005, reporting to CEO Richard Wagoner Jr. (Who was forced out after the U.S. Government had to bail-out GM). Andersson was once rumoured to become the next CEO after Wagoner. When I asked him about the rumours in an interview late 2006, he answered:
“Next question…. No, I don’t think that will happen, but somebody floated my name. Do I think that it’s going to happen? Absolutely not.”

He didn't say that he didn't want to.

"Bo has made tremendous contributions to the development of our global purchasing and supply chain strategy as we've globalized our product line portfolios and manufacturing footprint," GM's new CEO Fritz Henderson said in a press comment to Andersson's departure.

“They’re going to have some very big shoes to fill,” John Henke Jr., president of supplier-research firm Planning Perspectives told Bloomberg Business News on Friday.
“He was a tough guy, but he knew his business and he knew what he had to do,” Henke said, adding that Andersson “is too good and he loves the business.”


Read my interview with Bo Andersson in Currents magazine No. 1 2007.

Hans Sandberg