Cadillac Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl sees inspiration in Detroit’s resurgence

Wahl, 56, came to Cadillac from McDonald’s USA, where she had been CMO. But before that, she spent more than a decade in the auto industry, including as CMO at Chrysler until her job was eliminated in a 2008 restructuring. She also worked in marketing at Toyota Motor Sales USA, Mazda North America and Ford Motor Co.

At Cadillac, Wahl is armed with a luxury Ellinghaus didn’t have: product, and lots of it. Cadillac is in the “acceleration” phase of its long-term growth plan, which calls for a new or redesigned vehicle every six months on average. That started last year with the XT4 compact crossover, followed this year by the XT6 large crossover.

She also is expected to lead the messaging behind the brand’s pivot toward electric vehicles. GM this month announced Cadillac would lead the automaker’s push for more EV and fuel-cell-powered vehicles, including a new global crossover that will debut the company’s next-generation EV platform — expected in 2021.

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