Deborah Wahl

Deborah Wahl is SVP, General Motors Global Chief Marketing Officer of General Motors.

Her focus is bringing transformation and growth to GM as the possibilities of an all-electric future are brought to life for consumers.  Deborah joined General Motors in 2018 as the Global CMO of Cadillac and was appointed Global Chief Marketing Officer in 2019. Prior to joining General Motors, Deborah served as the Senior Vice President and CMO for McDonald’s from 2014 to 2017, where she played a key role in the brand’s turnaround, proudly bringing All Day Breakfast to McD consumers.  In addition to McDonald’s, Deborah has held a number of CMO and marketing leadership positions, including at PulteGroup, Chrysler and Lexus. She has been named to the Forbes CMO Hall of Fame and is a 2021 recipient of the CMO Club Hall of Fame Award, as well as the Automotive Hall of Fame Industry Influencer Award. 

Deborah has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Wellesley College, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a Masters of International Studies from The Lauder Institute, University of Pennsylvania.

Deborah is an active business leader who serves on the board of Groupon and is Chair Emeritus of the MMA Global Board.  She is passionate about contributing to her community, serving  on the Board of Trustees of Cranbrook Educational Community, Friends of the Children – Detroit as well as the Wellesley Business Leadership Council.