THE chairman and md of Vauxhall, Duncan Aldred, has clearly been doing too much of a good job.

The high-ups in GM, Vauxhall’s parent company, have decided to appoint Duncan as US vice–president, Buick-GMC Sales, Service and Marketing commencing 01 March 2014.

Duncan will be based at GM HQ in Detroit, US.

Duncan has been instrumental in turning around Vauxhall’s fortunes with the launch of more than 12 new models and a strategy overhaul in three years.

Vauxhall is also a UK manufacturer, and Duncan has helped secure Astra production at the company’s Ellesmere Port factory and the all new Vivaro van at the company’s Luton plant. Vauxhall is the UK’s largest van manufacturer.

Duncan first joined Vauxhall as an undergraduate at its Ellesmere Port plant in 1990 and, with Vauxhall sponsorship, went on to graduate from Liverpool John Moores University in 1992. 

Continuing in a variety of sales and marketing posts, Duncan headed to Hungary in July 2006 as director, sales, marketing and aftersales for GM’s South East Europe region, before transferring to Germany to take the role of sales operations director for GM Europe in 2009.

In January 2010, he returned to the UK to take the role of managing director of Vauxhall Motors, before becoming chairman in December 2011. Later Duncan was also appointed acting vice president, sales, marketing and aftersales for Opel/Vauxhall in January 2013. 

Duncan’s aim – before his latest appointment – was to make Vauxhall the number one for retail and fleet sales in the UK by the end of 2016.

That task will now be left to his successor who has yet to be announced.