For Stephen Girsky the key to success is satisfying the customer, whatever the business. As an analyst, first at Paine Webber and then at Morgan Stanley, Girsky was No. 1 in Autos & Auto Parts 20 times, providing happy investors with whatever they wanted — stock picks, industry insights, detailed data. He also led the Tire & Rubber sector three times, giving the Harvard Business School graduate 23 No. 1 finishes during his 16 years on Wall Street. Girsky left Morgan Stanley in 2005 to open his own advisory shop. In June 2009 the United Auto Workers asked him to fill its seat on the board of General Motors, which had just filed for bankruptcy. Seven months later then–GM CEO Edward Whitacre Jr. asked Girsky to become vice chairman. “If you would have asked me when I left Morgan Stanley if this is what I’d be doing, I would have said no way,” says Girsky, 49, who oversees corporate strategy, new business development and other related areas for GM. “But I’m really enjoying this.”
