James E. Press is the former Deputy CEO of Chrysler Group LLC, having served in that capacity from June to December 2009. Previously, he served as President of Sales & Marketing Operations of Chrysler LLC from September 2007 to June 2009. He also served as Senior Advisor to Chrysler Financial Company. During this assignment, he assisted

Sergio Marchionne Sergio Marchionne (; 17 June 1952 – 25 July 2018) was an Italian-Canadian businessman, widely known for his turnarounds of the automakers Fiat and Chrysler, his business acumen and his outspoken and often frank approach, especially when dealing ...

in the transition to Fiat. Press was heavily involved in maintaining company operations and product development during the bankruptcy period. Press was also Senior Advisor to the Renault–Nissan Alliance, working closely with the CEO,

Carlos Ghosn Carlos Ghosn (; ; ar, كارلوس غصن; , born 9 March 1954) is a businessman who holds Brazilian and French nationality. Ghosn was the CEO of Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ, chairman and CEO of Ni ...

. Presently he is Senior Advisor to Hyundai Motor North America, AMCI Doppler in Torrance, California and Work Truck Solutions in Chico California.

Career

After starting his career at

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, he joined

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

in 1970 and rose steadily in the organization, serving in most key executive positions before being named COO of

Toyota Motor North America Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) is the operating subsidiary that oversees all operations of the Toyota Motor Corporation in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Its operations include research and development, manufacturing, sales, market ...

, the consolidating company for all sales, finance, manufacturing, design and engineering activities of one of the largest auto companies in the world. Press served in that role until September 2007. He was also the first non-Japanese member of Toyota's board of directors. Press served as Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor to The McLarty Companies until December 31, 2120; a fourth-generation family transportation business based in

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

. Previously, Press served as a senior executive for three international ventures founded and established by Mark McLarty: Yanjun Auto Group, a leading luxury auto dealership chain in China; Caltibiano McLarty, a multidealer group based in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

; and GDV Imports, the

Jaguar Land Rover Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC is the holding company of Jaguar Land Rover Limited (also known as JLR), and is a British multinational automobile manufacturer which produces luxury vehicles and sport utility vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover is a ...

distributor in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Later, Press was President of RML Automotive, a private,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

-based U.S. automotive dealer group established by Robert L. Johnson,

Mack McLarty Thomas Franklin "Mack" McLarty, III (born June 14, 1946) is an American business and political leader who served as President Bill Clinton's first White House Chief of Staff from 1993 to June 1994, and subsequently as Counselor to the Presiden ...

, Franklin McLarty, and Steve Landers.

Personal life

Press was born in Pasadena, California. After his second marriage ended in divorce, in 2006 he was remarried to Suwichada Busamrong from

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. Press and his wife live in

Hermosa Beach, California Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census. The c ...

, and have six children; Robert Press, Jason Press, Christopher Press, Elizabeth Press, Nong Press, and Guy Busamrong-Press. Press is known to be an avid swimmer. He wears a single string on one wrist as a reminder that material wealth is not the most important thing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Press, Jim Chrysler executives Toyota people Living people American chief executives in the automobile industry American chief operating officers 1946 births