
Here you can find information about the people who make up our Management Board.

Chairman of the Management Board & Chief Executive Officer Adam Opel AG
Karl-Friedrich Stracke has been appointed Chairman of the Management Board of Adam Opel AG, effective as of April 11, 2011. As Chief Executive Officer he is in charge of all operations of Opel/Vauxhall worldwide.
Stracke, who was born on June 22, 1956, in the German town of Lichtenfels-Goddelsheim, draws on 30 years of successful experience with Opel and GM. He began his career as a mechanical engineer in the area of body-in-white construction in 1979. Following additional studies in economics at the GM University in Flint, USA, he advanced to a management position in chassis construction in 1984. In 1991 he became head of the department.
After being appointed Chief Engineer of production technology for stamping and sub-assemblies in 1993, he took on a series of cross-departmental responsibilities, including the position of Manufacturing Director at the Opel plant in Bochum, Germany, from 1995 onward. Two successful model launches – Astra and Zafira – as well as the plant’s implementation of lean production methods took place during this period.
Karl-Friedrich Stracke brought this wealth of experience with him when he returned to Rüsselsheim in 1999 to assume the position of Director of Product Development. With state-of-the-art development technologies like virtual reality and simulation, he laid the groundwork for a highly efficient product development organization.
In 2004, Stracke took on the position of Executive Director GME Engineering, responsible for Opel/Vauxhall product development and Saab product design in Trollhättan, Sweden. In 2006, he assumed responsibility for global product design for body/interior and safety for all GM brands. Beginning in 2008, he headed the functions of global vehicle integration and proving grounds for all GM brands as Executive Director Vehicle Integration. From 2009 on, Karl-Friedrich Stracke served as Vice President, Global Vehicle Engineering, responsible for global car product development of GM. Under his leadership, engineers and technicians all over the world have developed innovative automobiles and technologies, including the revolutionary extended-range electrical cars Opel Ampera and Chevrolet Volt.
Karl-Friedrich Stracke is married and has two daughters. His hobbies include reading, tennis and jogging.

Member of the Management Board, Adam Opel AG Vice President Engineering Europe
Rita Forst was born March 31, 1955 in Wiesbaden. She studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Darmstadt, with a focus on energy and heat engineering. Rita Forst is married and has two grown sons.
In 1977 she began her career with Adam Opel AG in engine design. Seven years later, Forst spent 1984 in the USA, participating in a continuing education program for young engineers in Flint, Michigan. At the General Motors Institute she was awarded a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering.
As Project Engineer, Forst was responsible for coordinating various new engine development projects, including the introduction of the three-way catalytic converter and four-valve technology. As Group Engineer in the early 1990s, she managed design and development activities for the L850 light-alloy engine series, which was developed in Europe and used globally. In 1999 Forst assumed responsibility as Chief Engineer responsible for Manufacturing Engineering of all powertrain and transmission facilities in Europe.
She joined Opel Powertrain GmbH as Executive Director, Product Engineering in January 2001, and was later appointed Managing Director of this legal entity. Opel Powertrain GmbH is an operational division of GM Powertrain Europe. Up to September 2005, Forst was Managing Director of Opel Powertrain, where she was responsible for the development of the new diesel engine development center in Turin, Italy. Under her leadership, the company developed its frugal and environmentally friendly Eco-Tech engine series as well as the 6-speed automatic transmissions. From November 2007 on, Rita Forst has served as chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of the GM Powertrain Deutschland GmbH.
In November 2008, Forst came back to Rüsselsheim and undertook the operating leadership of the vehicle development of General Motors Europe. Rita Forst was named Member of the Management Board in January, 2010. She currently serves as Vice President Engineering, responsible for all European activities within the global Engineering team of General Motors.

Member of the Management Board and Chief Financial Officer
Mark N. James has been appointed member of the management board and chief financial officer of Adam Opel GmbH on January 15, 2010. He previously served as vice president, finance and administration, and chief financial officer of GM Daewoo Auto & Technology.
James began his GM career at GM’s European headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1991 as capital analysis manager. In 1994, he was appointed director of finance at Opel Turkey. In 1997, he joined Opel France, where he was responsible for budgets, accounting and planning.
In 1999, James returned to GM Europe, carrying out special projects such as the acquisition of Daewoo Motor Co. and a joint venture in Russia. From 2001 to 2005, he was controller of sales, marketing and customer care, and director of finance at Vauxhall Motors in the United Kingdom. Prior to joining GM Daewoo, James served as chief financial officer of GM’s ASEAN operations.
James received a bachelor’s degree in natural science from Cambridge University in 1983 and a master’s degree from the International Institute for Management Development in 1990.

Member of the Management Board, Adam Opel AG Vice President Manufacturing Europe
In January 2010 Reinald Hoben was appointed Vice President Manufacturing in the new Opel / Vauxhall Europe organization.
Reinald Hoben was born on April 21, 1952. He studied Mechanical Engineering specializing in manufacturing technology at the Rhine-Westphalian College of Advanced Technology (RWTH) in Aachen, Germany. He extended his academic education in 1980 by a year of additional studies in the USA at the General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan and additional studies in Harvard Business School in 1990.
Reinald Hoben began his professional career in 1978 as a methods engineer in Opel's Industrial Engineering division in Ruesselsheim. From 1982 onwards, Reinald Hoben held several management positions at the Ruesselsheim plant, including head of the Work Process Studies Department for the pressing plant and chassis divisions and head of the Assembly Division. After that, he moved to General Motors Europe in Zurich, Switzerland, as Master Schedules Director. He became Production Manager at Opel's Bochum plant II in 1991. In 1993, he became Director of Manufacturing at plant I and, two years later, General Director of Opel's plants in Bochum. From May 1, 2000, he was Executive Director Quality and Reliability at Opel and responsible for Quality Assurance throughout Europe. Reinald Hoben was appointed Executive Director of Manufacturing, Adam Opel AG (since December 2005 Adam Opel GmbH) effective August 1, 2004. In addition, as Executive Director of Manufacturing, General Motors Europe, he was responsible, additionally to the German plants, for production in the plants in Ellesmere Port, Antwerp and Trollhättan. In September 2009 he was appointed Acting Vice President Manufacturing GM Europe and in this position responsible for all plants in Europe.
Reinald Hoben is married and has two children.

Member of the Management Board, Adam Opel AG Vice President Personnel Europe
Holger Kimmes has been a member of the Adam Opel GmbH Management Board since November 2007 . He is responsible for Personnel Management and Social Affairs.
In January 2010 he was named Vice President Personnel and assumed responsibility for Personnel at Opel/Vauxhall Europe.
Born in Wiesbaden in 1958, Mr. Kimmes studied law at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz and worked as an attorney at a law firm in Wiesbaden. A specialist in employment law, he joined Opel in 1988 and in his capacity as HR Manager was involved in the setup of the Opel plant in Eisenach directly after the reunification of Germany. In 1992, he returned to Rüsselsheim as Manager for Central Labor Relations, where he worked on projects such as agreements on increasing competitiveness.
In 1998, he transferred to Zurich as Director, Industrial Relations, GME. From 2003 to October 2007, he was Executive Director, Labor and Employee Relations, General Motors Europe, and played a major role in the company’s successful turnaround process.
Holger Kimmes is married, with two children. Besides his work and family, he enjoys traveling and exploring European cities.

Member of the Management Board, Adam Opel AG Vice President, Sales, Marketing & Aftersales Europe
Effective March 2009, Alain Visser, member of the Management Board, is being responsible for all European sales, marketing and aftersales activities.
Visser was born in Antwerp, Belgium, on September 24, 1963. He obtained his first Master as a Certified Translator in 1985 from the University of Antwerp. In 1999, he earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Duke University in North Carolina, U.S.A.
Visser began his professional career in 1987 with Ford Belgium in Antwerp. From 1991 to 2003, he pursued an international career in England, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands, rising to the position of Managing Director of Ford Benelux.
In January 2004, Visser joined Opel as Executive Director of Sales Development Projects. In June 2004, he became Executive Director, European Marketing for the Opel and Vauxhall brands, and was appointed to the Opel Management Board. In January 2006 he was additionally appointed Executive Director Sales, Marketing and Aftersales for the Opel and Saab brands in the German and Austrian markets. In October 2007, Visser became GM Europe Chief Marketing Officer, being responsible for the development of GME’s multi-brand strategy and ensuring that all of GME’s brands combine successfully. Furthermore, as a member of the Adam Opel GmbH Management Board, Visser led the specific Opel/Vauxhall brand European marketing activities.

Member of the Management Board, Adam Opel AG Vice President, Purchasing & Supply Chain, Europe
In November 2010 Susanna Webber, Vice President, Purchasing and Supply Chain, was appointed to the Opel Management Board.
Susanna S. Webber began her career with General Motors in 1997 as a buyer in Troy, Michigan. A 13-year veteran of GM, she has held various positions in Purchasing and Cost Management.
In 2003, Susanna transferred to GM Europe as a fuel systems global commodity manager. While in Europe, she held numerous purchasing assignments. In 2004, she became director of HVAC Electrical Components with responsibility for wipers, locksets, latches and window regulators. Upon repatriation in 2006, Webber moved to Interior Purchasing as director of all hard trim products. From 2007-2008, Susanna held the position of executive director of Exterior Purchasing and in June 2008, Susanna was appointed executive director of GM Global Logistics. In September 1, 2010, Susanna Webber was named Vice President, Purchasing and Supply Chain, Opel/Vauxhall, located in Ruesselsheim, Germany.
Webber received a bachelor's degree in business management from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and a master’s degree in international management from Thunderbird, School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona.
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