Jon Lauckner (pictured), president of GM Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of US-based carmaker General Motors, is set to retire from its parent company in July this year.
Formed in 2010, GM Ventures targets developers of automotive technologies with the ability to enhance General Motors’ operations, products and manufacturing capabilities.
GM hired Lauckner in 1987 and he initially moved across a series of marketing and product planning roles based in the US, Brazil and Germany. He joined GM Ventures in mid-2010, shortly after the unit’s inception.
Lauckner was later appointed chief technical officer and vice-president of research and development for General Motors in 2012 to manage its overall open innovation efforts. He has featured in Global Corporate Venturing’s Powerlist seven times since then, ranking 24th in 2019.
Matthew Tsien will replace Lauckner next month as executive vice-president and CTO, and will conduct research and development and venture investments on behalf of GM Ventures, Lauckner told GCV.
Tsien has been at General Motors since 1995 and was appointed president of General Motors’ GM China division in 2014 to lead the company’s electrification and connectivity strategies in the country.
Yi Wei Xing, the China-headquartered owner of ride sharing platform Feezu (Weizuche), is among GM Ventures’ portfolio companies. The unit appointed John Du, a former director of GM China Advanced Technical Centre, as a China-based investment manager in mid-2019.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra said: “I would like to thank Jon [for his] decades-long service to GM, and for the outstanding contributions [he has] made to the company.
“[He has] played [a] significant role in positioning the company for long-term success, and I wish [him] all the best in retirement.”
Photo of Jon Lauckner courtesy of General Motors.
