Grant Dixton is joining General Motors as executive vice president and chief legal and public policy officer on July 15. He has decades of experience in the technology and manufacturing industries and has held senior leadership roles at Activision Blizzard and Boeing.

In this role, Dixton will report to GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra and oversee the company’s global legal, compliance, corporate governance, privacy, and public policy functions.

“GM is an iconic company I have always admired,” Dixton said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Mary, her leadership team, and the strong legal and policy teams in place at GM to help the company achieve its bold vision as it continues to provide vehicles that customers around the world love.”

Dixton’s Other Key Leadership Roles

Dixton served as the chief legal officer of Activision Blizzard, where he managed complex business transactions and regulatory issues.

He also held several executive-level positions at Boeing, including general counsel and corporate secretary. During his time there, he provided strategic counsel on various issues, including governance, litigation, intellectual property, and labor matters.

Earlier in his career Dixton served as associate counsel to President George W. Bush and provided legal advice across a range of domestic policy areas, including environmental matters.

“Grant Dixton is a respected leader and legal expert who has a deep understanding of the transportation, manufacturing, and technology sectors. We are excited to welcome him to GM in this important role and know that his experience in both legal and policy matters will be invaluable as the automotive industry continues to transform and evolve,” Barra said.

Glidden Shifts to Focus on Cruise

Dixton will assume the role currently held by Craig Glidden, who will now focus his time on Cruise. At Cruise, Glidden will continue to serve as president and chief administrative officer, responsible for legal, government affairs, finance, communications, and human resources, and will support Marc Whitten, who is joining Cruise as its new CEO. Glidden will also serve as executive vice president and strategic advisor at GM.

Glidden joined GM in 2015 as general counsel and has led a transformation of GM’s global legal and policy operations to support the company’s vision of a future with:

• Zero crashes

• Zero emissions

• Zero congestion

Glidden oversaw the conclusion of litigation and oversight related to the ignition switch recall and helped create processes where employees are encouraged to raise potential customer safety issues and recommend product safety improvements. 

GM said that under his leadership it has developed a bipartisan policy team that has been influential in navigating the changing domestic and geopolitical environment and works well with officials at all levels of government.

“Since Craig joined General Motors nearly a decade ago, I’ve relied on him to help guide our company through many pivotal moments. He’s a no-nonsense and inspirational leader with a deep understanding of the automotive business and legal and policy worlds and I am grateful he’ll leverage this experience as he focuses on Cruise,” said Barra.