General Motors Africa and Middle East gets new leader

General Motors has appointed Luay Al Shurafa as President and Managing Director of its Africa and Middle East Operations (AMEO). This appointment represents the first time an executive born and raised in the Middle East being chosen to lead the regional arm of GM’s business.

Al Shurafa takes up the new role with a clear mandate to oversee the business’s recovery from COVID-19, and deliver sustainable growth for the long term, said GM Senior Vice President and President GM International, Steve Kiefer. “Luay is a highly credentialled senior automotive executive who has a deep knowledge of the markets in which we compete,” said Kiefer. “His immediate priorities are to lead our business through the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the ongoing success of core vehicle lines, like the all-new Chevrolet Captiva, our luxury Cadillacs, premium GMC vehicles and our world-class full-size trucks and SUVs, as well as the debut of OnStar. “I have every confidence that under Luay’s leadership, we will sustain strong partnerships with our dealers and deep connection with our customers, to ensure we grow our business for the long term,” Kiefer added.

Al Shurafa, currently MD Commercial Operations – Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, started workling with GM in 1998, holding several Finance, Sales, Marketing and Aftersales leadership roles including Managing Director for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He succeeds John Roth, who has been appointed Global Vice President Customer Care and Aftersales, based in Detroit, from September 1.