GM Taps Lucid Motors Executive Claudia Gast for Deputy CFO and Strategy Position

General Motors announced the appointment of Claudia Gast from Lucid Motors as deputy chief financial officer and vice president of strategy, corporate development, and technology partnerships. She will begin on March 1, bringing her extensive experience in leading strategy and finance initiatives across automotive, defense, and other sectors. Gast will work directly with CEO Mary Barra on overall strategy and with CFO Paul Jacobson on corporate development and technology partnerships.

CEO Mary Barra expressed enthusiasm for the hire, stating, "We're excited to welcome Claudia to GM. Her extensive background leading strategy and finance, along with her executive leadership across automotive, defense, and other sectors, will help us build even stronger partnerships and expand opportunities for growth and innovation."

Gast succeeds Zach Kirkman, who joined GM in January 2023 following roles at Tesla and Apple. Kirkman served as vice president of global corporate development, became president of GM Ventures in January 2024, and was named deputy CFO in September 2024. His responsibilities included global mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, investments, special projects, and treasury operations. He also joined the board of Lithium Americas Corp. in October 2023. A GM spokesperson said Kirkman is leaving to pursue other opportunities.

Before joining GM, Gast worked at the Saudi-backed electric vehicle company Lucid Motors, starting in December 2022 as vice president and head of strategy and business development, and advancing to senior vice president in March 2025. There, she helped shape the company's medium- and long-term strategic vision, developed innovative business models, and built connections in the automotive and technology sectors. GM noted that Gast also handled Lucid's investor relations from late 2023 through early 2025—a detail not previously disclosed by her or the company. The appointment comes amid recent signs of her departure from Lucid.