# Daniel Ammann

Dan Ammann is a New Zealand business executive who served as CEO of Cruise and president of General Motors, and now leads ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions.

Dan Ammann is a New Zealand business executive known for his leadership roles in the automotive and energy sectors. He served as the president of General Motors (GM) from 2015 to 2019 and as the CEO of Cruise, GM's self-driving car subsidiary, from 2019 to 2021. As of 2022, Ammann heads ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions, focusing on the company's efforts to develop lower-emission energy technologies.

Ammann's career spans investment banking, automotive manufacturing, and autonomous vehicle development. He joined GM in 2010 after advising the company on its bankruptcy reorganization while at Morgan Stanley, and he quickly rose through the ranks to become CFO and then president. His tenure at GM was marked by a strategic shift toward electric and automated vehicles, including the acquisition of Cruise in 2016.

## Early Life and Education

Ammann was born and raised in Eureka, a rural area outside of Hamilton, New Zealand. In 1994, he graduated from the [University of Waikato](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/university-of-toronto) with a bachelor of management studies. His early background in a farming community influenced his later interest in industrial and manufacturing sectors.

## Investment Banking Career

Ammann began his career as an investment banker at Credit Suisse First Boston in 1993. He moved to New York City in 1997, continuing with Credit Suisse until 1999, when he joined Morgan Stanley. In 2004, he was appointed managing director and head of industrial investment banking at Morgan Stanley. In this role, he advised clients in technology, service, and manufacturing industries on mergers, acquisitions, capital raising, and restructuring. Notably, Ammann served as the lead advisor on GM's bankruptcy reorganization, a complex process that concluded in 2009.

## General Motors Leadership

Ammann joined GM in 2010 as treasurer, following the company's bankruptcy restructuring. In November 2010, he managed GM's initial public offering, one of the largest in U.S. history at the time. He became CFO in 2011, overseeing GM Financial and helping lead the automotive business. Ammann was promoted to executive vice president and then president in January 2014.

As president, Ammann led product groups including Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Cruise. He was one of the few GM executives certified to test drive vehicles at the Nürburgring race track in Germany. In 2016, he helped guide GM's acquisition of Cruise, a startup focused on self-driving technology. He also joined the Lyft board of directors that year when GM invested $500 million in the ride-hailing company, departing the board in 2018.

During his tenure, Ammann pushed GM to transition its focus toward electric and automated vehicles. In 2018, he handed over leadership of the Cadillac brand to product chief Mark Reuss to devote more time to Cruise. Under his oversight, Cruise grew from about 40 to roughly 1,000 employees.

## Cruise CEO Tenure

Ammann became CEO of Cruise on 1 January 2019, stepping down as GM president. He remained a member of the GM CEO's leadership team while leading Cruise. At Cruise, Ammann oversaw the development of autonomous vehicle technology, including partnerships with [Waymo](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/waymo) competitors and efforts to launch robotaxi services. His leadership focused on scaling the technology and preparing for commercial deployment.

Ammann left Cruise in December 2021 without a public explanation from GM or Cruise. His departure came amid industry-wide challenges in autonomous vehicle deployment and regulatory scrutiny.

## ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions

In 2022, ExxonMobil announced that Ammann had joined the company as head of its Low Carbon Solutions division. ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods welcomed Ammann, stating, "We welcome Dan to ExxonMobil and will use his knowledge and experience to continue to build our Low Carbon Solutions business." In this role, Ammann oversees initiatives in carbon capture, hydrogen, and biofuels, leveraging his background in industrial investment and large-scale operations.

## Personal Life

Ammann is married and has two children. He maintains ties to New Zealand, where he was raised, and has been described by the New Zealand Herald as "one of the most powerful Kiwi businessmen in the world" during his time at GM.

## Legacy and Impact

Ammann's career illustrates a trajectory from finance to operational leadership in transformative industries. His work at GM and Cruise contributed to the mainstreaming of electric and autonomous vehicles, while his current role at ExxonMobil positions him at the intersection of energy and climate technology. His experience in managing complex reorganizations and scaling startups has made him a notable figure in corporate leadership.

## See Also

- [Artificial intelligence](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence)
- [Machine learning](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/machine-learning)
- [Generative AI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/generative-ai)
- [Waymo](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/waymo)
- [Tesla Autopilot](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/tesla-autopilot)

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Source: https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/daniel-ammann
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
Last updated: 2026-09-13T03:58:56.659619+00:00