Frederick Henderson

Frederick Arthur "Fritz" Henderson (born November 29, 1958) was President and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors. Prior to his appointment as CEO on March 31, 2009, Henderson was the Vice President of General Motors and had been with the company since 1984. Frederick Henderson resigned as the CEO of General Motors on December 1, 2009.

Frederick Henderson
Born
Frederick Arthur Henderson

(1958-11-29) November 29, 1958
NationalityAmerican
Other namesFritz
Alma materUniversity of Michigan (BBA)
Harvard University (MBA)
Occupation(s)SVP, Sunoco, Inc., Chairman, CEO SunCoke Energy
PredecessorRick Wagoner
SuccessorEdward Whitacre, Jr.
SpouseKaren Lucht Henderson
ChildrenSarah, Emily

He replaced Rick Wagoner as CEO of GM when Wagoner stepped down after serving in that position for eight years, at the request of President Barack Obama[1] in relation to the General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization. Henderson assumed the new position on March 31, 2009.[2]

Early life and education

Henderson was born in Detroit, Michigan. He is a 1976 graduate of Lake Orion High School in Lake Orion, Michigan.

He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. During his time at Michigan, Henderson pitched for the University of Michigan Wolverines baseball team.

Career

Henderson joined General Motors in 1984. He held a number of positions with the company until 1992 when he became GMAC group vice president of finance in Detroit. From 1997 to 2000, he was GM vice president and managing director of GM do Brasil covering GM operations in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. He was successful in introducing small, inexpensive cars such as the Celta subcompact and the Meriva microvan, both produced in Brazil.[3]

In June 2000, he was appointed group vice president and president of GM-LAAM (Latin America, Africa and Middle East) and in January 2002, he moved to Singapore as president of GM Asia Pacific where he was successful in expanding operations in Korea and China.[4][5]

In 2004, Henderson was appointed chairman of GM Europe, based in Zurich, Switzerland, where he undertook substantial restructuring including significant reductions in jobs.[6] After becoming vice chairman and chief financial officer in January 2006, in March 2009, he became GM president and chief operating officer.[7]

On December 1, 2009, Henderson resigned from General Motors as CEO and was replaced by board Chairman Edward Whitacre, Jr., former head of AT&T Inc., who temporarily was CEO while a global search for a new permanent replacement is conducted. January 25, 2010 Ed Whitacre announces he will become the permanent CEO while keeping his current chairman of board of directors role. On February 19, 2010, GM announced that Henderson would serve as a consultant on their international operations, to be paid $59,090 per month ($709,080 per year).[8]

On September 2, 2010, Sunoco, Inc. announced that Henderson would join the company as senior vice president, and that he will lead the company's SunCoke Energy unit as chairman and CEO when it is spun off in 2011.[9]

On June 11, 2018, Adient plc announced that Henderson would replace former CEO R. Bruce McDonald as interim CEO, pending a search for a full-time replacement for McDonald.[10]

Personal life

Henderson is married to Karen Henderson and has two daughters, Sarah and Emily Henderson.[3]

References

  1. BBC: GM chief Wagoner ousted by Obama; March 30, 2009
  2. Ray Wert: Carpocalypse. Fritz Henderson To Take Job Of Interim GM CEO; from jalopnik.com; Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  3. David Welch; Gail Edmondson; William Boston (November 15, 2004). "Toughest Job Yet For This Mr. Fixit. Stanching the red ink at GM-Europe may take Fritz Henderson quite a while". BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on November 15, 2004. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  4. "Frederick A. Henderson". bizjournals.com. American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  5. Bill Vlasic. "Frederick A. Henderson". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  6. Noelle Knox (October 12, 2004). "GM plans to slash up to 12,000 jobs in Europe". USA Today. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  7. "Henderson, Frederick. Brief Biography". Reuters.com. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  8. "GM names ex-CEO Henderson as adviser". gulfnews.com. Bloomberg. February 21, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  9. "Ex-G.M. Chief to Lead Sunoco Spinoff". The New York Times. 2010-09-03.
  10. "Adient Announces Leadership Transition Plan". Adient.com (Press release). June 11, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
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