Muley To Lead Center of Expertise On Diversity and Growth Markets @ General Motors.

General Motors appointed Ms. Miriam Muley as the new Executive Director of GM’s Center of Expertise on Diversity and Growth Markets. Muley was previously Director of Sales and Marketing to Women at GM, a position she has held since the inception of the Center of Expertise in May 2001.

Muley brings more than 20 years of successful brand management experience and new product development with a number of companies, including Avon, Johnson & Johnson, and Clairol, which have all focused on women and diversity segments as key consumer groups.

The GM Center of Expertise on Diversity was created to integrate and focus diversity and growth efforts throughout the company. The mission of the Center of Expertise is to understand the needs and perceptions of vehicle buyers from all walks of life, and to deliver the products and services that resonate with these audiences.

“The overall success of the Center of Expertise and the programs it implements is critical to the company’s growth objectives,” said Gary Cowger, president, GM North America. “The emerging majority markets — African- American, Asian-American, Hispanic, women and youth — are the fastest growing, most dynamic in the industry. As a woman of color, a Hispanic woman and a successful business woman, Miriam brings a unique perspective to this position. I am confident that under her leadership, GM will succeed in this mission,” said Cowger, who also champions the diversity and growth markets effort at GM.

“In a relatively short period of time, the Center of Expertise has had a profound impact on the way GM listens and responds to consumers in a culturally relevant way,” said Miriam Muley. “I look forward to the opportunity to take the Center of Expertise and its programs to the next level and to serve as a catalyst to leverage all of GM’s great assets in this arena.”

Muley will report to C.J. Fraleigh, who has responsibility for GM corporate marketing and advertising. “The growth markets represent a great business opportunity for GM, and we are totally committed to meeting the needs of these important consumer groups,” said Fraleigh. “The Center of Expertise on Diversity and Growth Markets has become an invaluable resource for all of GM’s divisions and marketing teams. This group’s deep understanding of cultural nuances and sensitivities are helping shape our marketing efforts across the board.”

In addition to her 20 years of industry branding experience, Muley spent six years at Uniworld, a leading minority advertising agency, where she managed creative and media efforts for Avon, Bristol-Meyers, American Express, and Alberto Culver. As a distinguished leader in her field, Muley has been awarded numerous honors, including a selection as one of Avon’s “Black Achievers” in 1995, being named one of the “Top 100 Women in Advertising and Marketing” in 1988. Recently, she received the 2002 “Ebony Award for Outstanding Corporate Marketing.”

Muley earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Marymount Manhattan College in 1976, and an MBA degree from Columbia’s Graduate School of Business in 1978.