DETROIT — General Motors’ chief human resources officer has left the company after less than eight months in the position.
GM said Wednesday Jose Tomas departed for “personal reasons.” A replacement for Tomas, who reported directly to GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra, is expected to be “named soon,” according to a GM spokesman.
Tomas was an industry outsider when he succeeded GM veteran John Quattrone as senior vice president of global human resources in July 2017. He had previously held leading HR posts at health insurer Anthem Inc. and fast food giant Burger King Corp.
Barra, when announcing Tomas to succeed Quattrone, touted his “well-rounded background” and experience with managing “a complex global employee base” for his hiring.
Tomas was expected to continue Quattrone’s mission to help change GM’s long-standing cultural dysfunction — a top priority of Barra, who, in 2014, appointed Quattrone to lead HR amid the automaker’s ignition-switch crisis, which occurred weeks into her tenure as CEO.
Tomas’ sudden departure, which was reported by The Wall Street Journal, is a rarity for GM’s leadership team under Barra, who herself ran global HR in the years after GM’s bankruptcy.
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