Restructuring Advisor Tapped to Head Opel

The supervisory board of General Motors Co.'s Opel unit has promoted Thomas Sedran, a former restructuring specialist with ties to GM, to lead Opel until a permanent replacement is found.

Sedran was named acting chairman of Opel's management board, not CEO. He also was given the permanent job of deputy chairman. He succeeds Karl-Friedrich Stracke, who stepped down as the unit's chief last week.

Sedran joined the Opel in April from Michigan-based AlixPartners LLC, where he headed the consulting firm's automotive practice for six years, to become management board member in charge of operations, business development and corporate strategies. The company says the German native will retain those responsibilities.

Sedran faces the daunting task of turning around Opel, which has lost more than $15 billion (€12.3 billion) since 1999.

His appointment marks GM's latest step in tightening its grip on Opel. A series of executives have left the unit since November, when GM increased the number of its executives on Opel's supervisory board to five from three and installed its Vice Chairman Steve Girsky as Opel board chairman.

At AlixPartners Sedran advised GM on previous restructuring efforts in Europe, according to The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper says he was a key player in the company's formation of an alliance with PSA Peugeot Citroen in February.