Roger smith gm biography

Smith began his career at GM (General Motors) in 1949 as an accounting clerk, and had become the company's treasurer by 1970, and vice president the following.
Roger Bonham Smith was the chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation from 1981 to 1990, and is widely known as the main subject of Michael Moore's 1989 documentary film Roger & Me. Smith seemed to be the last of the old-line GM chairmen, a.
Roger B. Smith became chairman and chief executive officer of General Motors on January 1, 1981.

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Roger Smith (executive)

Chairman and CEO of General Motors (1925–2007)

Roger Bonham Smith (July 12, 1925 – November 29, 2007) was the chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation from 1981 to 1990, and is widely known as the main subject of Michael Moore's 1989 documentary film Roger & Me.

Smith seemed to be the last of the old-line GM chairmen, a conservative anonymous bureaucrat, resisting change. However, propelled by industry and market conditions, Smith oversaw some of the most fundamental changes in GM's history. When Smith took over GM, it was reeling from its first annual loss since the early 1920s. Its reputation had been tarnished by lawsuits, persistent quality problems, bad labor relations, public protests over the installation of Chevrolet engines in Oldsmobiles, and by a poorly designed diesel engine. GM was also losing market share to foreign automakers for the first time.

Deciding that GM needed to completely change its structure in order to be competitive, Smith instituted a sweeping transformation. Initiatives included divisional consolida

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GM Under Smith: Motown Without the Soul (1990)

Roger Smith became chairman of General Motors on January 1, 1981. Two months later, with GM embroiled in the first of the many controversies of his ten year tenure over its plans to demolish the blue-collar multiethnic Detroit neighborhood of Poletown, Smith demonstrated his sensitivity by telling Polish jokes to a reporter from the Detroit News. In May that same year he told GM stockholders that, contrary to the evidence of massive public protests, "most of these people were delighted to be rescued from homes they couldn't sell."

In 1990, with his reign as chairman coming to end, Smith was still demonstrating his almost complete disregard for public opinion While recovering from the PR impact of Michael Moore's documentary film Roger & Me, Smith saw his retirement pension almost doubled, to $1.25 million a year, despite having presided over an 11 % decline in GM's share of the U.S. passenger car market and a dwindling of domestic auto profits. After the new pension plan was approved by shareholders, Smith said the whole iss

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Roger Smith
File:Roger smith.jpg
Personal details
Born	Roger Bonham Smith (1925-07-12)July 12, 1925 Columbus, Ohio, USA
Died	November 29, 2007(2007-11-29) (aged 82) Detroit, Michigan, USA
Occupation	Automobile executive
Alma mater	University of Michigan

Roger Bonham Smith (July 12, 1925 – November 29, 2007) was the Chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation from 1981 to 1990, and is widely known as the main subject of Michael Moore's 1989 documentary film Roger & Me.