Lion hearted: After a decade with Holden, Phil Brook moved to a regional posting for Buick-GMC in the US and has now stepped up as US vice-president of marketing for the two American brands.

GENERAL Motors has promoted another Australian to a key post at the American auto giant with Phil Brook stepping up as US vice-president of marketing for Buick and GMC.

Succeeding Tony DiSalle, who has moved to a new position as Buick’s executive director of global portfolio planning, Mr Brook is a former senior executive at GM Holden and moved to the US in late 2014 as Buick-GMC regional director for the south-central region based in Irving, Texas.

Buick-GMC director of communications Kelly Cusinato confirmed the management reshuffle in an email to GoAuto.

Mr Brook is an experienced sales and marketing executive who joined Holden in 2004 as a marketing manager after stints at Nissan and Honda.

In 2007, he was promoted to marketing director, overseeing Holden’s advertising, marketing and customer retention strategies, and in 2011 became director of sales, taking responsibility for all sales, network development and distribution initiatives.

In October 2012, Mr Brook was appointed executive director of sales and marketing – replacing John Elsworth who left Holden to work for Hyundai – and a year later assumed the position of executive director of vehicle sales, service and marketing, which added responsibility for the Holden Service Parts Operations (HSPO), the company’s customer satisfaction and service retention team and also Holden New Zealand.

Tony DiSalle

As US vice-president of Buick and GMC marketing, Mr Brook will provide senior leadership and strategic direction for US Buick and GMC marketing functions, including marketing, communications and product strategy.

His appointment comes as Buick this month unveiled its version of General Motors’ global large all-wheel-drive crossover wagon, the Regal TourX, which will be sold in Australia as the Holden Commodore Tourer.

Buick backed up the presentation of the Regal TourX – which was introduced by former Holden chairman Mark Reuss, now executive vice-president of global product development, purchasing and supply chain – with the unveiling in New York last week of the redesigned Enclave large SUV, which shares its mechanicals with the Chevrolet Traverse shown at the Detroit motor show in January.

The Enclave is built on a stretched version of the C1XX platform which underpins the Cadillac XT5 and the GMC Acadia, the latter to be rebadged as a Holden and sold here from next year as a long-overdue replacement for the Captiva.

Mr Brook is one of many former Holden executives to have worked at key posts at General Motors in the US, with some of these still among the senior leadership team including Mr Reuss, fellow executive vice-president and president of North America Alan Batey, and vice-president of General Motors global design Mike Simcoe.

By Terry Martin