Carl-Peter Forster
Following his departure as CEO of GM Europe last November there were all manner of rumors concerning the future of auto industry stalwart Carl-Peter Forster. Some thought he would go on to lead a Fiat Group brand, some even claimed he would head the new SAAB-Spyker, while others suggested he was to become the new boss of Jaguar Land Rover.
We can confirm today that 55-year-old Forster has been appointed CEO of Tata Motors, where he will oversee the company’s global operations including Jaguar Land Rover. He is replacing Ravi Kant who will be staying on as a non-executive vice chairman.
In a formal statement, Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata said Forster’s induction would greatly facilitate the company’s ambition towards being a “truly international” player--and he’s right. Forster has 24 years of international experience in the auto industry, most recently as head of GM Europe where he looked after Opel, Vauxhall, Saab and the European activities of Chevrolet. Before that he spent 13 years at BMW in various roles at the company’s South African operations.
Forster’s key task now will be to turn around the financial performance of Jaguar Land Rover, which Tata Motors acquired from Ford back in 2008 for $2.3 billion.
[Tata Motors]
