Rocha - man who 'bled gasoline'

GM Korea CEO Sergio Rocha presents a violin to a child with disability at a special education school in Incheon, on July 12, 2012. / Courtesy of GM Korea

By Oh Young-jin

The story of Sergio Rocha, the CEO of GM Korea, is an interesting human interest drama not just because the Brazilian overcame humble beginnings to reach his current position but because of his devotion to cars.

“My mother joked that I bled gasoline, when she saw a nick on my finger,” Rocha recalled. He sustained that small injury while tinkering with a machine.

He couldn’t exactly recall how he fell in love with cars but gave the impression he would be willing to check under a hood even with his suit on.

One thing that is clear is that his love of cars was forged through hard labor.

“When I was young, child labor was legal,” he said.

Therefore, he began working at the age of 14, and climbed the corporate ladder one rung at a time. When asked the secret of his success, his answer was as expected. “It’s my parents,” he said.

His parents helped him and all his siblings finish college, a feat that was difficult for his poor family. When he talked about his family, he appeared to tear up.

His parents’ zeal for education was just one factor in his success. Their industriousness also influenced his work habits greatly. “I love to work,” he said, whispering “workaholic” with a broad smile on his face.

GM Korea CEO Sergio Rocha explains the structure of an automobile to elementary school students at its main plant in Bupyeong, Incheon, on July 24, 2012. The automaker organizes an auto-science camp every year where students can learn more about automobiles. / Courtesy of GM Korea

This is no joke. Some of his colleagues said privately that their boss is one of the fastest people to respond to their e-mails. “Sometimes, it feels he works 24/7,” one said.

Our interview was also arranged quickly.

A reminder of a commitment to the interview Rocha made at a GM event was e-mailed to him and replied to within minutes.

Obviously, he can’t respond decisively and promptly to every issue.

Patience is something he cherishes when sending messages to his employees and talking to the union. “It’s important to listen,” he said.

He also has an element of bluntness in his way of handling business, honestly stating where the source of a problem lies.

He said he likes numbers and drawings to explain, taking out a notepad.

When it was pointed out to him that his family should be more active in helping Korean consumers understand the power of the GM brand, he caught his interlocutors off guard by writing “AGREE” on the pad.

The case in point was that GM has a power brand, like Cadillac, and great cars such as the Chevy Camaro and Corvette but they do not fully convey that to Korean customers, making them think the premium brand and cars are inferior to European marques.

At the end of the interview, he showed a photo of his family and said, “It’s my source of energy.”

The interview was pleasant because he was very forthcoming with his answers.

“I may receive interesting phone calls from your articles,” he said, casting a glance at his two press handlers at the table. For sure, they had expressions of concern more than once.