Carl-Peter Edmund Moriz Forster (born 9 May 1954, in London), is a British businessman. Forster was the group Chief Executive of

Tata Motors Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing company, headquartered in Mumbai, India, which is part of the Tata Group. The company produces passenger cars, trucks, vans, coaches, buses. Formerly known as Tata En ...

between January 2010 and 9 September 2011. Born in London, Forster was raised in London,

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

and

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. His father was a German diplomat. Forster holds degrees in Economics from

Bonn University The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...

, and in Aviation and Space Technology from

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; german: Technische Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Establis ...

Career

On graduation in 1982, Forster joined

McKinsey McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm founded in 1926 by University of Chicago professor James O. McKinsey, that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. McKinsey is the oldest and ...

as a consultant in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

BMW

In 1986, he joined BMW where he held various leadership positions before becoming managing director of BMW South Africa in 1996, and the board member responsible for all vehicle development projects in 1999.

General Motors

In April 2001, Forster was appointed chairman and managing director of

Adam Opel AG Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gro ...

. In June 2004 he became President of GM Europe, based in Zurich,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, and Chairman of the Opel Supervisory Board. In April 2005 he also became Chairman of

Saab Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB * Saab Automobile, a fo ...

. On 1 January 2006, he was additionally appointed

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

Group Vice President and a member of the GM Automotive Strategy Board, and took over the role as the senior-ranking executive for GM’s activities in Europe.GM: Forster To Leave Co; External Search For New Europe CEO
/ref> On 3 November 2009 General Motors announced that it would retain ownership of its

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...

subsidiary .GM Throws Opel Deal Into Reverse
/ref> Forster commented about GM's decision not to sell the units to

Magna International Magna International Inc. is a Canadian parts manufacturer for automakers. It is one of the largest companies in Canada and was recognized on the 2020 ''Forbes'' Global 2000. The company is the largest automobile parts manufacturer in North Ameri ...

:GM Europe president quits following Opel U-Turn
/ref> On 6 November 2009 General Motors confirmed that Forster would be leaving all positions with GM Group globally.

Tata Motors

On 15 February 2010 India's

announced that Carl Peter Forster has been appointed as the group CEO with overall responsibility for Tata Motors globally, including that of its British unit

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

and

Land Rover Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...

. Following a surprise announcement on Friday 9 September 2011 it was revealed that Carl-Peter would step down from his group CEO role due to 'unavoidable personal circumstances'. However, he remained on the Tata Motors board of directors in a non-Executive capacity.

Gordon Murray Design Limited

Ex-Tata group CEO joined Gordon Murray design house.

Rexam

In June 2014 it was announced that Forster had been appointed a non-executive director of the UK packaging conglomerate

Rexam Rexam plc was a British-based multinational consumer packaging company headquartered in London, England. After spending much of its life as a paper producer known as Bowater, it diversified and became a leading manufacturer of beverage cans. It ...

Personal life

Forster is married and has three children and lives in Oxford.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Forster, Carl Peter 1954 births Living people Businesspeople from London German business executives General Motors former executives Chief executives in the automobile industry Tata Motors Opel people Tata Motors people