Departing General Motors Australia boss opens up on recent exit

Late last month, General Motors Australia and New Zealand (GM ANZ) announced its managing director, Jess Bala, would be leaving the company with immediate effect following almost three years in the position and two decades with GM as a whole.

In a post shared to her followers on LinkedIn, Ms Bala has shared more details about why she left GM’s local operations, with the former MD noting a desire to spend more time with family as a key reason for the decision.

“After almost 20 years at General Motors, a few weeks ago I made the very difficult decision to leave the company,” said Ms Bala.

“It wasn’t a decision I made lightly. The past two years have been incredibly challenging outside of work, and I ultimately made the decision to put my family first, not return to the US and remain in Australia.

“I’ve had the privilege of working alongside some truly exceptional people over the past 20 years — people who have challenged me, supported me, inspired me and ultimately shaped me into the leader I am today. I’m incredibly grateful for every one of those relationships.”

Ms Bala’s career with GM began in the parts division of Holden at Port Melbourne, before a shift to product planning. She then relocated to the US in 2013 to work on GM’s electric vehicle (EV) programs. She subsequently served as chief of staff to GM CEO Mary Barra and then Cadillac's global product planning director, before returning to Australia in 2023.

“To my General Motors Australia New Zealand team — some of the most passionate people in the business. I’m incredibly proud of everything we achieved together over the past three years,” Ms Bala added.

“We faced plenty of challenges, but time and again you found a way through them, continued to deliver and proved that there are incredible opportunities in our corner of the world.

“I’m looking forward to what comes next — finding a new challenge, a new passion and an opportunity to make an impact again.”

In the post, Ms Bala listed some of her proudest achievements during her time with GM, noting her "pivotal role" in the development of the final Australian-made Holden Commodore, leading early product development of the Chevrolet Trax SUV (sold here as a Holden), and serving as chief of staff to global GM CEO Mary Barra.

More recent achievements Ms Bala noted included the launch of the Cadillac brand in Australia and New Zealand, and the growth of GM Specialty Vehicles.

In its initial press release, GM confirmed that local director of sales and operations, Greg Rowe, would be appointed as acting managing director in the interim, as the brand searches for a replacement.

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