Steven J. Harris
VP Communications
General Motors Corp. Detroit
313/667-3532
[email protected]
History: Graduated from University of Southern California (B.A., journalism)
in 1967 and entered the automotive biz immediately. Held various PR posts at
GM and American Motors Corp. (which was later bought by Chrysler) before being
named VP communications at Chrysler in 1998. Jumped to SVP communications for
DaimlerChrysler with the merger of Chrysler and Daimler-Benz later that year.
Became VP in charge of GM's global communications function in Feb. 1999.
Staff: Oversees the work of 700 communications practitioners worldwide,
including 350 in the U.S.
Average Night's Sleep: Five hours.
On Being Driven: "GM has made me into a morning person, which I always
thought impossible. This place starts early - 7 a.m. meetings are routine. My
day in the office goes until about 7:30 p.m. I do my reading and email in the
evening and regularly give up one day per weekend to prepare for the next week."
On Loyalty: "I'm not an auto nut. I didn't take apart cars and put them
back together as a kid. But this is such a fascinating industry that it's hard
to imagine getting excited about something else in the same way. [Few jobs compare
to GM in terms of] the scale, scope, consumer interest, media interest and fascinating
people all over the world. There's something good and something bad going on
in the world all the time. Maybe if I'd entered my career with the advent of
dotcoms, that would have been an equally exciting place to go."
Hot Issues: "Although GM has been global since the 1920s, the industry
as a whole is acting more global. Major consolidation is impacting the competitive
environment. Plus, every day there's some issue on the ecommerce front. We're
trying to globalize that function and understand what that means."
Hiring Focus: "In the last year and a half, we've hired 100 business
integrators - meaning internal communications people. We're turning up the volume
in this area."
Most Memorable Snafu: Busing the media from L.A. to Riverside for a
morning racetrack event. "We had this idea to cook breakfast on the bus for
everyone. The smells made everyone sick. People were throwing up out of the
windows."
Car Talk: "I get a new car every 90 days. Right now I'm driving a Cadillac
Escalade SUV."