• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Cadillac is currently without a chief marketing officer. 

Melissa Grady Dias, who was elevated to the top marketing job at the division in September 2019, departed the automaker two weeks ago, a Cadillac spokesperson confirmed. Dias could not be reached for comment. 

The General Motors luxury brand, which saw an 18% jump in U.S. sales in the first quarter, is undergoing a significant transformation, with a commitment to go all-electric by 2030.

The departure is framed as being “elected” by Dias, according to the spokesperson.

“We thank Melissa for her leadership and contributions to Cadillac and GM’s marketing transformation,” according to a statement. 

Dias exceeded the current Fortune 500 CMO tenure, which averaged about 4.2 years in 2023, according to Spencer Stuart, a global professional services firm specializing in executive search. 

Previous to the CMO role, Dias was director of Cadillac media and performance marketing, her first role at GM. 

An industry veteran, her career has included stints at Jackson Hewitt Tax Service and Motorola. She previously spent 10 years at another automotive luxury brand, Jaguar Land Rover.

She also spent a year on the agency side of the business when she was an account director at Tequila, a unit within TBWA that focuses on below-the-line marketing, including promotions and experiential campaigns.

Dias ascended to CMO after the division’s previous top leader, Deborah Wahl, was promoted to GM’s global marketing chief. Wahl retired from GM in March 2023. CVS Health’s Norm de Greve took the automaker’s top marketing position in July 2023. 

In absence of a CMO, the top marketing executives at Cadillac include Brad Franz, director of global marketing; Maurice Jennings, global brand director and AJ Magali, director of performance marketing.