GM Korea's new President and CEO Roberto Rempel / Yonhap

General Motors named new presidents for GM Korea and its RD unit, GM Technical Center Korea (GMTCK), Friday amid an unprecedented global chip shortage.

GM appointed Roberto Rempel, currently president of GMTCK, as president and CEO of GM Korea, effective June 1, GM Korea said in a statement.

"In addition to having an extensive engineering background in global products, Roberto has demonstrated remarkable leadership at GMTCK. We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber leading the team in Korea, one of GMI's core markets," GM Senior Vice President Shilpan Amin said in the statement.

Rempel will replace Kaher Kazem, who will transfer to his new role as executive vice president of SAIC-GM in China. SAIC-GM is a joint venture set up between GM and SAIC Motor that manufactures and sells GM models in China, the statement said.

GMTCK Vice President Brian McMurray will serve as new president of GMTCK, it said.

"I am confident that our next global vehicle ― the compact crossover ― will also be a hit with our customers around the world," Rempel said. "We are responding to the evolving preferences of our customers with the introduction of the new GMC brand, starting with the GMC Sierra, as well as continuing to expand our Cadillac portfolio."

Rempel began his career at GM Brazil in 1982, and he has served mainly in product management and vehicle engineering in various GM markets. He has been working in Korea since 2015 and was named president of GMTCK in early 2019. (Yonhap)