General Motors has announced its general counsel Michael Millikin will retire early in 2015.
The automaker said it would “immediately”begin an external search for his replacement.
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The New York Times noted Millikin has been a central figure in the automaker’s safety crisis and a target of congressional critics calling for broad reforms at GM.
The paper said Millikin, 66, emerged as an important strategist and close adviser to GM CEO Mary Barra in the aftermath of the company’s acknowledgment that it failed to recall millions of defective small cars for more than a decade. GM’s internal investigation exonerated him in the delayed recall but Millikin could still be a subject of federal and state inquiries into the company’s handling of defective ignition switches and associated engine power loss and disabling of air bags, the NYT added. Of the 15 employees GM dismissed for their role in the delayed recall, at least five were lawyers who worked for Millikin, including his top aides overseeing product litigation.
A GM spokesman told the New York Times Millikin’s resignation was voluntary and not related to the legal fallout from the faulty switches.
“Mike has had a tremendous career, spanning more than 40 years, with the vast majority of it at GM,” said Barra in a GM statement anouncing Millikin’s departure. “He has led global legal teams through incredibly complex transactions, been a trusted and respected confidant to senior management, and even led the company’s global business response team following the tragedy of 9/11.
“For me personally, Mike has been incredibly helpful over the past two decades,” Barra said. “I find him a man of impeccable integrity, respectful candour, and unwavering loyalty.”
Millikin joined GM in 1977 and his many roles there included heading the company’s response to the theft of confidential documents and data by Jose Ignacio Lopez and some of his followers; the post of vice president and general counsel of GM’s International Operations (GMIO) in Zurich, Switzerland including a seat on the GMIO strategy board; and seats on the Opel supervisory board and GMDAT (now GM Korea) board. He was named associate general counsel in 2005 and general counsel in 2009.
Millikin will remain in his position until a new general counsel is in place.
