Batey takes baton from Reuss as FCAI president

GM HOLDEN’S new chairman and managing director Alan Batey will pick up where his predecessor Mark Reuss left off as the president of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

Mr Batey, who officially takes office as Holden’s new chief tomorrow (September 1), was elected by the FCAI’s executive committee and will serve in the role for at least until the next annual general meeting is held in April 2010.

As GoAuto has reported, Mr Reuss has returned to GM headquarters in Detroit to take up the role of vice-president of global vehicle engineering.

“I am pleased and honoured to represent the Australian automotive industry as president of the FCAI,” Mr Batey said in a statement released today.

“I believe that our automotive industry must continue to focus strongly on its commitment to improving vehicle safety and continuing to meet the challenge of improving environmental performance – these will remain key priorities for the FCAI.”“I am also firmly committed to the future of automotive manufacturing in Australia and I look forward to working closely with the federal government as the industry prepares to implement the next phase of the New Car Plan for a Greener Future.”

As previously reported, Mr Batey is a Brit with three decades’ experience with GM, rising through the ranks of Vauxhall, GM Europe and GM Middle East before transferring to GM Daewoo in 2001 as vice-president of commercial operations, where he worked with GM Asia-Pacific chief (and now international operations president) Nick Reilly to transform the troubled South Korean manufacturer into GM’s resurgent Asian small-car division under the Chevrolet and Holden brands.

With that task completed, he moved to Holden in October 2005 to replace the retiring Ross McKenzie as executive director of sales, marketing and aftersales.