GMs new CEO to keynote the 2011 Washington Auto Show

GMs new CEO to keynote the 2011 Washington Auto Show

Amid the highly-anticipated revitalization of General Motors, Dan Akerson, the companys recently-appointed CEO, will keynote the 2011Washington Auto Show Public Policy days on Jan. 27, 2011.

As General Motors aims for sustained profitability and market success with critical new products like the Buick Regal, Chevrolet Cruze and the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle, the man at the center of the action is Akerson, who was elected CEO of General Motors on Aug. 11, 2010.

GM will always be one of Americas iconic companies, and we will hear firsthand from the new CEO himself as to where the company is headed after the turbulence of the last two years, said Charles Stringfellow, CEO of Brown Automotive and Washington Auto Show chairman.

Akersons presentation in Washington on Jan. 27, sponsored by the Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA), should set the pace for Public Policy Days at the Auto Show, which opens to the public on Jan. 28.

Advancing the 10-day public show, Public Policy Days will feature a lineup of press announcements and special preview opportunities and culminate in a Sneak Peek Preview for government and media officials to experience the latest advances in automotive design and innovation.

Being established as the industrys public policy auto show on the global circuit for its convergence of industry innovators with lawmakers, The Washington Auto Show has become the premiere staging ground for announcements and future directions on U.S. policies that impact automotive design.

There are few better venues than The Washington Auto Show to talk about how a strong automotive industry and U.S. manufacturing base benefit the nations long-term economic strength and global competitiveness, said Akerson.

The Washington Auto Show keynote address is traditionally opened by leadership of major automobile manufacturers, like GMs Akerson, which makes serious industry news. Past speakers have included such CEO luminaries as DaimlerChryslers Dieter Zetsche, Volkswagens Stefan Jacoby and Alan Mulally of Ford. At the same time, the Public Policy Preview Day onsite at the Washington Convention Center historically has drawn much of official Washington, including cabinet members, White House staff, members of Congress, U.S. agency regulatory heads and ambassadors.

A member of the GM Board of Directors, Akerson was managing director of The Carlyle Group and the head of global buyout, serving on the firm’s executive committee. He is a seasoned corporate executive with extensive operating and management experience, having served as a leader in top corporations including General Instrument, MCI, Nextel, and XO Communications.

Akerson graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1970 with a bachelor of science in engineering and he earned a masters degree in economics from the London School of Economics.