Kristian Aquilina was appointed GM Canada president and managing director in January 2024, reporting to Duncan Aldred, senior vice president and president of GM North America.

Kristian leads GM Canada at a pivotal time of transformation, as the industry continues to usher in electrification and the company builds on investments in Canadian manufacturing, EV supply chain and software development work.

Kristian joined GM Canada in 2023 as vice president of vehicle sales, service, and marketing, bringing his global experience and perspective to the GM Canada dealer network and the entire GM Canada enterprise. Under his leadership, GM Canada led the industry in vehicle sales for 2023 – the first time since 2009 – and held that lead in 2024. GM Canada is also the top seller of electric vehicle for the first half of 2025.

Prior to joining GM Canada, Kristian was the managing director of Cadillac International Operations and Cadillac Middle East. During this time, he led Cadillac’s strategy across certain international markets as well as its operational activities in the Middle East and achieved strong profitability growth while laying the groundwork for an all-electric future in the region.

In his 25 years with General Motors, Kristian has held several leadership roles in sales and marketing as well as business unit leadership including as managing director for Holden, New Zealand and executive director of sales and marketing at GM Holden. He was appointed chairman and managing director GM Holden in 2019 and led the transition of the business to the newly formed General Motors Australia and New Zealand. 

Kristian holds both an MBA and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Melbourne Business School as well as a Bachelor of Arts from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Kristian and his wife Megan live in Toronto with their three children, Benjamin, Raphael, and Jasmine.