General Motors Africa & Middle East Announces New Executive Appointments

General Motors Africa & Middle East (GM AMEO) is proud to be a forerunner in ushering in the future of mobility across the region and has today announced updates to its Executive Team to support its vision of Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion. These changes are in immediate effect.

Sajed Sbeih, previously Managing Director Commercial Operations for GM Middle East & Sub-Saharan Africa, has been appointed to the role of Vice President – Strategy, Product & Operations at GM Europe and will relocate to Zurich, Switzerland. In line with GM’s Global Growth Strategy, Sajed’s new role will see him lead innovation, strategy, building partnerships and alliances as well as leading product planning and new GM business portfolio.

Albert Nazarian, currently GM AMEO Chief Financial Officer (CFO) has been named Managing Director Commercial Operations for GM Middle East & Sub-Saharan Africa. As part of his new remit, Albert will spearhead GM AMEO’s sales plans as the company executes innovative growth solutions, including strengthening the firm’s relationships with partners and stakeholders. Over two decades at General Motors, Albert has an exemplary track record of outstanding contributions across finance, productivity and internal controls and brings with him extensive global experience across business development and restructuring, process reengineering, and financial analysis.

Ajai Shankar is appointed as GM AMEO’s new CFO.  Ajai previously held the role of Finance Director – Global Product Development Finance, and will relocate to Dubai from the US. Since joining GM in 2003, Ajai has taken on roles of increasing responsibility including Treasury Manager and Director of Corporate Treasury. Ajai also boasts outstanding experience in Future Mobility focused roles, including as CFO for Urban Mobility and Maven.

Speaking about the appointments, Luay Al Shurafa, President and Managing Director, GM Africa and Middle East said: “Recognizing and developing exemplary talent within our GM AMEO team remains a cornerstone of our business,  and we are eager to see the fresh thinking and innovation that will stem from these changes to our executive team.  We are excited to welcome Albert Nazarian and Ajai Shankar to their new roles as they build on their extensive global and regional experience and drive our Ambidextrous Business strategy forward  as we strive toward our vision of Zero Crashes, Zero Congestion and Zero Emissions.”

I also want to extend my thanks and gratitude to Sajed for his invaluable contribution to our GM AMEO business. From establishing and leading business planning and strategy to innovating across brand management, marketing, sales, market research, start-up projects, product planning and commercial operations, Sajed has helped us go from strength-to-strength across the region. Sajed has also played an integral leadership role in new business development through championing new alliances and spearheading efforts such as our online e-commerce platform Shop.Click.Drive. He is an enterprise leader with strategic vision and passion, and we wish him every success in his new role at GM Europe.