General Motors has hired an executive from the Saudi-backed EV maker Lucid Motors to lead corporate strategy and serve as the deputy chief financial officer (CFO).
Gast will serve as GM‘s deputy chief financial officer and vice president of strategy, corporate development, and technology partnerships, the Detroit automaker said Monday.
The executive will start March 1 and report to CEO Mary Barra for strategy and to CFO Paul Jacobson for corporate development and technology partnerships.
“We’re excited to welcome Claudia to GM,” Barra said.
“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,” the CEO said.
Gast replaces Zach Kirkman, a former Tesla executive who joined GM in 2023. Kirkman is departing for other opportunities, a company spokesperson said.
Lucid Departure
Gast’s hiring comes hours after EV first reported her resignation from Lucid, where she served as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development.
At Lucid, Gast was responsible for “building out Lucid’s mid- and long-term strategic direction, developing new business models, and cultivating partnerships across the automotive and technology space,” according to the company’s website.
She joined the EV maker in December 2022 as Vice President and Head of Strategy and Business Development and was promoted to senior vice president in March 2025.
GM said Gast also led Lucid‘s investor relations function from late 2023 to early 2025 — a role neither the executive nor Lucid had publicly disclosed.
Gast Replaces Kirkman
Gast replaces Zach Kirkman, a former Tesla and Apple executive who joined GM in January 2023.
Kirkman served as Vice President of Global Corporate Development before being promoted to VP Global Corporate Development and President of GM Ventures in January 2024.
He was promoted to Deputy CFO in September 2024, responsible for global M&A, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, investments, special projects, and treasury.
Prior to GM, Kirkman spent over six years at Tesla in corporate development and more than six years at Apple in finance and corporate development.
He also serves as a board member at Lithium Americas Corp., a position he has held since October 2023.
