Leadership | General Motors Canada

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Kristian Aquilina

President and Managing Director GM Canada

Kristian Aquilina was appointed GM Canada president and managing director in January 2024, reporting to Rory Harvey, executive vice president and president of GM Global Markets.

Kristian leads GM Canada at a pivotal time of growth and opportunity, as the industry prepares for an all-electric future and the company continues to build on its recent investments in Canadian manufacturing, EV supply chain and software development work.

Kristian joined GM Canada in 2023 as vice president of vehicle sales, service, and marketing, bringing his global experience and perspective to the GM Canada dealer network and the entire GM Canada enterprise. Under his leadership, GM Canada led the industry in total market share and total sales for 2023 – the first time since 2009.

Prior to joining GM Canada, Kristian was the managing director of Cadillac International Operations and Cadillac Middle East. During this time, he led Cadillac’s strategy across certain international markets as well as its operational activities in the Middle East and achieved strong profitability growth while laying the groundwork for an all-electric future in the region.

In his 25 years with General Motors, Kristian has held several leadership roles in sales and marketing as well as business unit leadership including as managing director for Holden, New Zealand and executive director of sales and marketing at GM Holden. He was appointed chairman and managing director GM Holden in 2019 and led the transition of the business to the newly formed General Motors Australia and New Zealand.

Kristian holds both an MBA and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Melbourne Business School as well as a Bachelor of Arts from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Kristian and his wife Megan live in Toronto with their three children, Benjamin, Raphael, and Jasmine.

Shane Peever

Vice President, Vehicles Sales, Service & Marketing GM Canada

Shane Peever was appointed vice president, vehicle sales, service & marketing for GM Canada in April 2024. In this role, Shane oversees all vehicle sales and marketing activities for GM Canada, including the Canadian dealer network, vehicle distribution, digital strategy, customer experience and more. He also serves on the Canadian Executive Council (CEC) and as an officer on the board for GM Canada.

Over the last 20 years, Shane has held a variety of leadership positions within the vehicle sales and marketing and customer care and aftersales organizations, including most recently as head of sales with GM Energy in the U.S. He successfully built GM Energy’s sales and operations team, dealer programs, and direct and e-commerce sales channels from strategy through execution in preparation for the brand’s launch.

While leading Cadillac Canada, Cadillac achieved three back-to-back record sales years from 2020 to 2022, receiving the Canadian Automotive Dealer Association’s (CADA) most improved Dealer Satisfaction award while growing the brand’s health and profitability in the Canadian market.

In his role as director of enterprise marketing, Shane launched a variety of innovative digital tools, including the Dealer Digital and Website Choice Program, as well as GM Canada’s exclusive partnership with Costco. Shane also championed focus on data and analytics, including enhanced dealer data sharing and improved analytics capabilities within the organization. These successes, along with Shane’s commitment to foster an inclusive, connected, and empowered team culture, have led to growth across GM Canada’s sales and marketing organization and the dealer network.

Shane began his career with GM Canada as a co-op student before joining full-time in 2004. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing Management from the University of Guelph and lives in Whitby, Ontario with his wife and two daughters.

Faithlyn Hemmings

Vice President and Lead Counsel, General Motors of Canada Company

Faithlyn is Vice President and Lead Counsel for General Motors Canada. Leading the Canadian Legal organization, she oversees all the legal needs of the company. Since joining GM Canada, Faithlyn has lent her expertise to provide legal support to the Sales, Service and Marketing, Real Estate, Environment, Finance, Connected Customer Experience, and Customer Care and Aftersales organizations, among others.

Faithlyn is also a member of the Canadian Executive Council, the GM Canada Board of Directors, and GM’s global Legal and Public Policy team. Faithlyn is the Chief Privacy Officer for Canada.

Prior to joining General Motors, Faithlyn was General Counsel and Privacy Officer to Hyundai Canada. In this role, she handled all legal matters for the corporation, including regulatory affairs, dealer matters, commercial matters, consumer relations and litigation management.

Faithlyn began her career with Blaney McMurtry LLP in Toronto, representing clients across an array of industries including telecommunications, software development, entertainment, professional services, banking, insurance, and manufacturing.

She holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor.

Giovanni Pincetti

Vice President and Chief Financial Officer GM Canada

Giovanni (Gio) Pincetti was appointed vice president of finance and chief financial officer for GM Canada in March 2024. Gio leads GM Canada’s current and future business objectives and is a member of the Canadian Executive Council (CEC) and GM Canada Board of Directors.

In his previous role as director of sales and marketing incentives for General Motors, Gio and his team were pivotal in achieving higher U.S. vehicle portfolio pricing which directly contributed to record results. During his time as director of global capital management, Gio successfully restructured GM’s global CapEx plan, resulting in substantial manufacturing and product portfolio optimization.

Gio joined GM Europe’s joint venture with Fiat in 2002 before transitioning to GM North America. Since then, Gio has held many positions with increasing responsibility and has obtained diverse global expertise in product development finance, business development, capital management, financial planning and analysis, and sales and marketing.

Gio holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the University of Trieste in Italy.