DETROIT—GM comms chief Selim Bingol is departing the company amid a management shake-up that follows the wide-ranging recall of nearly 2.6m cars.

GM said that Bingol left to pursue "personal interests". His duties as SVP of global communications and public policy will be handled on an interim basis by investor relations head Randy Arickx, until a permanent replacement is identified.

Bingol, who joined GM from AT&T in 2010, was credited with helping transform the automaker's corporate communications operation, helping it recover from bankruptcy.

His departure follows the appointment of Mary Barra as GM CEO earlier this year and comes amid stinging criticism of the company's response to its recall crisis.

GM has brought in external advisors to support its crisis response, including Public Strategies veteran Jeff Eller. 

Bingol was hired by former GM chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre, for whom he worked at SBC and AT&T. His agency career included several years at FleishmanHillard.

In his Influence 100 interview with the Holmes Report last year, Bingol noted that his career highlight was GM's return to the public markets. His biggest frustration with the PR business, he said, was that "the final result—what someone else thinks, says or writes about your business or issue—is out of your control."