Around the World in 30 Years with GM

Basil Drossos, one of the Club's newest members, talked about his extensive 30 year career as a General Motors executive in exotic locales around the world. Drossos retired recently and moved back to his wife's hometown after living in eleven cities in nine countries. He is currently on the Board of Directors of CSI.

Drossos, who is also a Kentucky native, began his overseas career with GM in 1977 with a stint in Peru, followed by Chile, Venezuela, Argentina and Mexico. While in Mexico, Drossos was responsible for moving the production of the El Camino and the Caballero from Texas to Saltillo, Mexico in 1982. Saltillo continues to be a thriving facility cranking out 1.5 million units a year.

He commented on the benefits of NAFTA to the U.S. and the firm commitment that GM has to its manufacturing facilities in the U.S., as well as its Mexican and Canadian counterparts.

Drossos was then tapped for GM's European headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, and was fortunate enough to see the fall of the Berlin Wall, and was the first to cross over into eastern Europe to initiate GM's sales there.

His last seven years were spent in Tokyo and Singapore. While there is great growth in Europe, the Asian market provides even greater opportunities. Drossos points to Vietnam as the next Asian economic Tiger. Vietnam has a population of 85 million , 60% are under the age of 25 with a nearly 100% literacy rate, who are eager to participate in the world economy. Meanwhile, an older Asian Tiger, Japan, is actually struggling with a declining population, but still produce nearly half of its cars for sale in the U.S

Of course, the BRICK countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and Korea are the fastest growing economies in the world. In particular, China remains a nearly untapped market with only 24 vehicles for every 1,000 people to date. GM manages 1,032 manufacturing plants in China alone, and market share for GM is growing by leaps and bounds in all the BRICK countries even while market share in the U.S. declines.

Clearly, the bright future for GM and other U.S. manufacturers lie overseas. Drossos also spoke about the tremendous opportunities for those wishing to take up the "gypsy life" with an international company like GM. His children were both born in Venezuela and subsequently became "Third Culture Kids," or children that blend their own culture with the culture of whatever country they live in at the time, and those of their other multi-cultural friends.

Drossos recommended the Thunderbird School of Global Management, from which he holds a master's degree, as an excellent starting place.