Bangkok, Thailand — General Motors announced seasoned executive Hector Villarreal as president of GM Southeast Asia, effective immediately. Villarreal will be based in Bangkok, Thailand as he has been appointed to lead the important region of Southeast Asia following the retirement of Ian Nicholls after 27 years of distinguished service with GM.

Villarreal vacates his post as managing director of GM Russia to come to GM Southeast Asia. In his new role, he will focus on growing the Chevrolet business and brand in Thailand and Southeast Asia, with a particular emphasis on Chevrolet’s truck and SUV strategy through the world-class Colorado and Trailblazer.

“Hector brings to Southeast Asia strong commercial acumen from his experiences leading GM businesses and functions in several international markets, including Mexico, Korea, Uzbekistan and Russia. Hector has with a deep understanding of our business and a proven track record in building strong stakeholder relationships to maximize performance with our teams, distributors and dealer partners,” Andy Dunstan, president and managing director, GMIO Strategic Markets, Alliances & Distributors said.

Villarreal began his career with GM in 1990 as a manufacturing project engineer at the Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico. Since then, he has held various positions in Mexico as well as in the United States, including industrial engineering manager and vehicle line director. He also served as planning and program management director for GM de Mexico.