Susan brings to EMV a unique understanding of how to connect consumer behaviors to brands and business models inside the auto/EV industries as well as outside it. She forged a storied global career at GM over 25 years at the automaker, during which she launched, breathed new life into and/or oversaw dozens of vehicle brands ranging from Hummer, to Cadillac, to the Electric Chevy Volt across the US, the EU and China. She added significant depth to her experience starting in 2008 as one of the most senior, frontline sales executives to help lead the company through its emergence from the financial crisis, a government bailout and bankruptcy.
Beginning with her appointment as the first-ever auto industry female Vice President of Sales, Service & Marketing in 2009, Susan’s diverse responsibilities came to include overseeing dealer network restructuring; advertising & marketing spend as well as agency relationships; sales and servicing; customer data systems; and product as well as manufacturing operations in various countries. Specifically, while overseeing International Operations for GM starting in 2010, she was responsible for its largest growth region, driving volume and revenue increases of close to 700,000 units and $45 billion, respectively. She also launched the Electric Chevy Volt in the EU, reduced the company’s losses in Europe by hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and increased GM’s market share during a down market.
More recently, Susan diversified her credentials by engineering the turnaround and re-expansion of Canyon Ranch, the iconic 40-year-old lifestyle and wellness brand. During her four-year tenure at the company as CEO, she restructured its operations, identified and pursued new adjacent growth opportunities – including partnerships with airlines, cruise ships and special-purpose housing, adding locations outside the US, overhauling its web presence, building a new management team and relocating its corporate HQ. Her initiatives improved topline growth by over 30% and improved profits by 80% during her time there. Susan also broadened her governance and oversight credentials by serving on three Boards of Directors, including the NYSE-listed Brinks Company and the newly public Mister Car Wash, as well as the private-equity-backed J&J Ventures Gaming.