PONTIAC, Mich. - The appointment of Alan W. Kennedy as director of business and product planning and customer interface for GM Powertrain was announced by Arvin F. Mueller, GM Powertrain group vice president. Kennedy succeeds Jamal N. El Hout who was named vice president, GM Europe Planning. Kennedy's appointment is effective September 1, 2000, and he will report to Mueller.  

Kennedy began his GM career in 1971 in product engineering at the Pontiac Motor Division. By 1978, he was a market analyst in GM's Worldwide Product Planning operations. A few years later, Kennedy was named product planner for the Buick Motor Division. In 1983, he was promoted to director of market research, marketing and product planning for GM's Corporate Staff.  

In 1989, Kennedy began the first in a series of overseas assignments as managing director of General Motors Chile in Santiago, Chile. A few years later, a promotion took him to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he was named executive director of sales and marketing for General Motors do Brazil.  

In 1995, Kennedy moved from South America to the Asia Pacific Region, where he was named managing director of General Motors Taiwan in Taipei. In 1998, Kennedy was named a Vehicle Line Executive for the Saab 9-3/9-5 program in Trollhatten, Sweden. Kennedy recently repatriated to the U.S to be director of Operations Support within the Knowledge Network Development and Integration activity. Kennedy received a bachelor's of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute (GMI) in Flint, Mich., in 1976. He earned a master's of business administration from the Harvard Business School in 1978.  

(August 25, 2000)