GM Appoints Jeff Boyer New Vehicle Safety Chief
General Motors has appointed a veteran company executive to a new global safety role to quickly identify and resolve product safety issues amid a broad external and internal review of its safety procedures. CEO Mary Barra named Jeff Boyer to the newly created position of Vice President of Global Safety on March 18. The appointment comes in the wake of heightened regulatory scrutiny tied to GM's ignition switch safety recall.
Boyer has served the company nearly forty years in a wide range of engineering and safety positions at GM. He assumes global responsibility for the safety development of GM vehicle systems, confirmation and validation of safety performance, as well as post-sale safety activities including recalls, GM said.
Boyer will provide regular and frequent updates on vehicle safety to Barra, senior management, and the General Motors Board of Directors. He will report to John Calabrese, Vice President of Global Vehicle Engineering. He will also become a member of the global product development staff, led by Mark Reuss, Executive Vice President of Global Product Development, Purchasing, and Supply Chain.
Boyer, who began his GM career in 1974 as a co-op student, has held several senior engineering, safety, and process leadership positions, including the role of a total vehicle integration engineer. His most recent position since 2011 was Executive Director of Engineering Operations and Systems Development.
Before that, Boyer served as Executive Director of Global Interior Engineering and Safety Performance, in which he was responsible for the performance and certification of GM vehicle safety and crashworthiness.