DETROIT, Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- General Motors today named Chuck Stevens as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Jan. 15. He replaces Dan Ammann, who becomes company president on Jan. 15. Stevens was previously CFO of GM North America.

In his new position, Stevens will be responsible for leading the company's financial and accounting operations on a global basis. He will report to Mary Barra, who becomes GM CEO on Jan. 15.

"Chuck's extensive experience in leading finance operations and driving profitable growth all around the world makes him the perfect choice to help our team drive GM's global performance to new heights," said Barra.

Stevens, 54, became CFO of GM North America in January 2010. In this position, he led GM's financial operations for U.S. Sales, Service and Marketing, GM Canada, GM Mexico, North America Manufacturing, Customer Care and Aftersales, and Global Connected Consumer. He was also interim CFO of GM South America from December 2011 to January 2013.

Stevens previously held leadership positions in China, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. He began his career at Buick Motor Division in 1983.

"The plan is to build on the good progress made by the finance team in driving the right business decisions," said Stevens. "I look forward to working with the GM team to drive even stronger business results."

John Stapleton, currently CFO of GM Global Manufacturing, will replace Stevens as CFO of North America. He will report to Alan Batey, who becomes executive vice president and president of GM North America effective Jan. 15. Stapleton, 45, has more than 24 years of financial experience at GM.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

SOURCE General Motors