Steve Carlisle To Succeed Johan de Nysschen As Cadillac President

Yesterday, Cadillac Society was first to report that Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen has elected to leave his position at the luxury automotive brand over what he described as “philosophical differences”. Now, we know that his successor will be Steven Carlisle, who has been appointed president of Cadillac as well as senior vice president at Cadillac parent company, General Motors.

Notably, de Nysschen held the same titles during his tenure at Cadillac and GM.

Since November 2014, Carlisle served as president and managing director of GM Canada, where he was tasked with recovering GM Canada. GM was the best-selling automaker in Canada on a retail level in 2017, during which time Buick, GMC and Cadillac achieved their best-ever sales year. During his tenure in Canada, Carlisle also reestablished key relationships in Canada with retailers, employees and government officials.

Steven Carlisle

“The potential for Cadillac across the globe is incredible and I’m honored to be chosen to be a part of mapping that future,” said Carlisle in a written statement. “I look forward to building on our current momentum as we continue on our mission to position Cadillac at the pinnacle of luxury.”

In his new position at the helm of Cadillac, Carlisle will report to GM President Dan Ammann. The appointment is effective April ¹⁸, 2018.

Carlisle is a life-long employee of General Motors, having begun his career at the automaker in 1982 as an industrial engineering co-op student at the Oshawa Truck Assembly Plant in Canada. Over the course of his career with GM, he has held several senior leadership positions around the world, including vice president, Global Product Planning (2010-2014), vice president of U.S. Sales Operations (2010) and president and managing director of Southeast Asia Operations (2007-2010).

GM describes the Canada native as an active business leader who currently serves on:

• Ontario Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity
• The Dean’s Advisory Council, University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering
• Chair of the Advanced Technology Committee of Canadian Automotive Partnership Council

From 2014 to 2016, he served as the Chair of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association.

Carlisle also holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a Master in Business Administration from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Carlisle is an avid hockey enthusiast, and is part of the GM Canada Salaried Hockey League.