Tata Motors Appoints Mr Carl-Peter Forster As Group CEO

Image Courtesy: timesonline.co.uk

Tata Motors has appointed Mr Carl-Peter Forster as the group Chief Executive Officer of the company. Tata Motors was looking for a successor to David Smith, the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, who had left the company in January this year.

He will have the overall responsibility of Tata Motors operations globally including Jaguar Land Rover. Ravi Kant who oversaw Tata Motor’s global and domestic operations had moved last year to non executive vice chairman.

Mr. Forster, 55 years, has twenty-four years of international experience in the automobile industry.  Most recently he was the head of General Motors, Europe, where he looked after Opel/Vauxhall, Saab and the European activities of Chevrolet.  Before joining General Motors in 2001, Mr. Forster has had 13 years of experience in BMW where he held various positions including that of Managing Director of BMW South Africa  and was also on the Managing Board of BMW responsible for manufacturing.

Forster quit GM in November after criticizing the U.S. car maker for reversing a decision to sell its European Opel/Vauxhall unit to Canadian supplier Magna Internation Inc and its Russian partner Sberbank.
 
Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons and Tata Motors, said, “Tata Motors expects that Mr. Forster’s induction will greatly facilitate its ambition towards being a truly international company.”