Gubbey is a graduate of Hatfield Polytechnic and has also held positions at Ford and Toyota. On 1 July 2007 he officially took up his role as chairman and managing director of Holden, however, after only six months as chairman and managing director, the shortest in the history of the company, Gubbey was replaced by Mark Reuss.
Gubbey's background as a Hatfield Polytechnic graduate and his experience at Ford and Toyota prepared him for his role as chairman and managing director of Holden. However, his tenure was cut short after just six months, making way for Mark Reuss to take the reins.