<div><h1>SO LONG, FRITZ </h1><p>The rumors had been buzzing for weeks: Fritz Henderson's driver's-seat days were numbered at General Motors. After all, Chairman Edward Whitacre Jr., former boss of AT&T, seemed to be doing the steering, along with a highly independent board that had spurned one of Henderson's key decisions. So the unceremonious ouster of Henderson on Dec. 1 wasn't exactly a shocker. The newly constituted board apparently concluded that the 25-year veteran was too closely linked to the clunky old GM to undertake the redesign that's needed. Now the search for a new CEO begins, and Whitacre promptly told employees that it could take as long as a year. Meanwhile, there seem to be an awful lot of hands on the wheel. Private equity executives on the board have proven vociferous, say insiders. And critical issues loom: how to repair the European business, burnish the brands, design new models, and build a management team. </p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=65212106&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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