in brief: general motors announce female ceo

Image: Daniel Lobo

A woman has finally reached the upper echelon of the automotive industry, with General Motors announcing its new chief executive officer to be long serving employee, Mary Barra.

Barra is the first woman to reach the top on a global level, after joining the corporation 33 years ago.

Over the decades, the company employed her in roles as diverse as a plant management, human resources and engineering.

Outgoing CEO, Daniel Akerson has described Barra as having ‘brought order to chaos’ during her tenure with GM. ‘Mary was picked for her talent, not her gender,’ Akerson said.

In Australian news media, Barra’s ascent has been largely overshadowed by news of GM’s decision to cease subsidiary company, Holden’s production in 2017.

In the past two years she has been an executive of GM’s global production. As such, Barra’s decisions and calculations would have played a significant role in determining the viability of Holden. ‘This is truly the next chapter in GM’s recovery and turnaround history, and I’m proud to be a part of it,’ Barra said.

Barra will lead the company as it navigates through the US government’s sale of its final stake in GM, problems with its US and European market and improving product line-ups.