For the first time since 2022, Auto Remarketing and Cherokee Media Group are giving their Ron Smith Lifetime Achievement Award; an honor reserved especially for executives who have made one of the most significant impacts on the used-car industry.

During Used Car Week 2026 in San Diego, the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Kyle Birch, who wound down his professional career as North American president of GM Financial.

Birch’s professional journey didn’t begin directly within auto financing. Rather, he started as part of major federal regulator, joining the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in 1983 when the banking industry faced a significant crisis.

“Even though the auto lending business wasn’t new, I had examined and closed a lot of banks that had auto problems. I knew the auto business. I knew things from the bad side. I didn’t know from the good side,” Birch said when he was named the Auto Finance Executive of the Year in 2021.

However, since then, Birch has been on what could be considered the good side of auto financing, first with First Merchants Acceptance Corp., then AmeriCredit, which was eventually purchased by General Motors to form GM Financial.

Through more than three decades, Birch has led operational teams through recessions, soaring times for vehicle sales as well as the pandemic.

Earlier this fall, Birch reflected on this career for an episode of the Auto Remarketing Podcast. Here are some highlights of that conversation.

What was the moment that prompted you to begin the winddown of your professional career? How difficult was it to get the process in motion to culminate the journey you’ve taken?

Yeah, it’s kind of an interesting question. I started thinking about my own personal timeline right around the time I turned 60, which was in 2020. But we also know that was right in the middle of the pandemic, so there was a lot going on. I was thinking about what I wanted to do in the later stages of my life. I looked very closely at the succession plan I had for my team. And then I spent a lot of time talking to Dan Berce. I’d worked for Dan almost 30 years and I knew he had a timeline, as well. I wanted to make sure I was aligned with what he was doing and what his expectations were of me. And then, you know, I kind of followed that and prepared for it.

And then my 65th birthday, which was back in October last year, was kind of a big milestone. While I’ve got to do a lot of really good stuff with dealer partners over the years, my team members, I’m kind of getting to a point in my life where I want to spend a little bit more time with my wife and do some things with my four daughters.

We don’t necessarily need every single detail, but when was what you might consider to be the most challenging part of your career? How did you get through it? How did it leave an impact on your professional journey afterward?

Most of it would have been through the AmeriCredit timeframe, which for me was from 1997 to 2010, when GM bought AmeriCredit. If you go back into 2002, 2003, AmeriCredit had a little bit of a liquidity issue. We went from like 240 branches down to about, I think, 98 branches. And it was the first time in my career I had had to lay off a lot of really good people. So, that was a little bit challenging and emotional for me.

And then I think for probably everyone in our industry, the 2008 financial crisis that really for AmeriCredit carried over into 2009, because we were obviously having some challenges from a funding perspective and trying to get reasonable pricing and really just trying to work with our leadership to keep the company moving forward.

You asked how I got through it. I think emotionally all of those kind of things are tough. But good leaders of companies, they do what they have to do financially in times of distress to ensure that the company moves forward. And that’s really what we were focused on, because the early part of 2009 was really rough; probably the roughest time for AmeriCredit.”

We’ve previously discussed how important people in your life like your parents and certain colleagues shaped who you became and who you are. What imprint do you hope you’ve made on your children and up-and-coming professionals?

Over the years, worked for a lot of different people. I started a list of leadership traits that I saw. Some of them were good. Some of them were bad.

And it evolved into what I have a leadership top 10 list that has evolved over time. And I try to kind of stick to that. Integrity is a big one. I talk about earning respect from others, not demanding it. You’ve got to surround yourself with people who believe in you and will give you honest feedback on how to grow. And probably one of the most important things, one of my mother’s favorite Bible scriptures was do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I try to be nice to people. I try to treat them the same way I would treat anyone and give respect and try to earn that back.

What might go through your mind when you see a vehicle with a temporary tag knowing that there’s a strong possibility financing was needed for that person to acquire that vehicle?

That’s a great question. You know, I see a lot of those temporary tags, and I do think about that from time to time.

And I look at it from the standpoint that I’m really kind of proud of the work we do in our industry to be able to provide a financial solution to help a customer buy either a new car or used car for themselves or their family. You know, I think I think back all the way back to my childhood, 16, 17 years old when I got my first car. It’s such an exciting feeling to purchase a vehicle and be proud of what you did. And I think to put customers in a position where, number one, they have availability to credit and hopefully reasonably priced credit that could get them in the payment they want.

Our job as lenders has always been to help our dealer customers sell more cars, but make sure the customer is put in a right financial solution that that they can achieve their goals where they have the right car, the right term, the right payment. And I think that is our primary responsibility as lenders.”

Awards and accolades you’ve been given are many and well deserved. But what have been some achievements that make you smile when remembering them that perhaps weren’t necessarily connected to something to hang on a wall or place on a mantle?

I’ve been in this business a long time. When I reflect back on that, it’s not an award. It’s really mentoring people, building relationships with them and watching them grow. I mentioned early on talking about a succession plan. You know, I’m really proud of my team. I leave the company in good hands. Jonas Hollingsworth is going to replace me as president of North America. And I’ve worked with Jonas for more than 20 years. I’ve got a great relationship with him.

Whether it’s within the GM Financial offices, an industry event or somewhere else, when someone might say, “Hey, you remember Kyle Birch?” What do you hope they say?

Hopefully they’ll say, ‘Yes, I remember him.’ That would be first off. Whether they like me or not, I guess if they remember me, that’s something.

Hopefully they’d say, ‘Hey, he was a nice guy who was a great partner, teammate. You know, he added a lot of value to our industry, and he had a lot of fun doing it.’ I always tell people, if you’re not happy with what you’re working on, you should find something else to do.

But I’ve been extremely pleased to be in this industry and work with so many great people. And hopefully those memories will start up again new in 2027 after I retire and pave the way for new adventures with people in the industry and outside the industry.