SHANGHAI – Ritch Schaafsma has been appointed executive vice president of SAIC-GM-Wuling, effective June 1. Based at the joint venture’s headquarters in Liuzhou, Guangxi, Schaafsma will report to Julian Blissett, GM executive vice president and president of GM China.
Schaafsma has served as vice president of Business Expansion at GM China since 2020, overseeing the establishment of new business models to improve profitability and grow GM’s business in China. Prior to that, he was vice president of GM China Corporate Development for three years, leading the company to explore and tap into new business opportunities in the market.
“Ritch brings to his new role extensive global and local experience in corporate development and business expansion,” said Blissett. “He will support the continued growth of SAIC-GM-Wuling’s brands and business as the joint venture expands its global footprint.”
Schaafsma began his career at GM in 2005 in the U.S. Before his assignments in China, he served as vice president of Corporate Development at GM International in Singapore from 2014-2017.
Schaafsma will succeed Mike Devereux, who has been named vice president of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales of GM China and SAIC-GM, effective June 1.
“I want to thank Mike for his tremendous contributions to SAIC-GM-Wuling’s development over the past four years,” added Blissett. “He has helped the joint venture to get well positioned for its long-term success in the midst of the transportation transformation.”
Established in 2002, SAIC-GM-Wuling is a three-way joint venture between GM China, SAIC and Guangxi Automobile Group that offers a broad lineup of mini-commercial and passenger vehicles. In the era of the automotive industry’s transformation, it has made significant progress in moving its brands upmarket while actively driving the mass adoption of electric vehicles. The Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV, which was launched in July 2020, is the best-selling electric vehicle in China.