GM has named Mary Barra to succeed Dan Akerson as CEO, making her the first female CEO in global auto industry.
- GM SAID TO NAME BARRA AS FIRST FEMALE CEO, SUCCEEDING AKERSON
- GM'S AKERSON SAID TO STEP DOWN IN JANUARY
More from Bloomberg who broke the news [5]:
General Motors Co. (GM) plans to name Mary Barra to succeed Dan Akerson as chief executive officer, making her the first female CEO in the global automotive industry, a person familiar with the effort said.
CEO since 2010, Akerson, who turned 65 in October, plans to tell employees today that he will step down in January, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. GM is likely to announce the change publicly today, according to the person. Dave Roman, a GM spokesman, didn’t immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment.
And her bio:
Mary Barra was named Senior Vice President, Global Product Development effective February 1, 2011, responsible for the design, engineering, program management and quality of General Motors vehicles around the world. On August 1, 2013, she assumed responsibility for GM’s Global Purchasing and Supply Chain organization and was named Executive Vice President, Global Product Development & Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. She is a member of the GM Executive Operations Committee and serves on the Adam Opel AG Supervisory Board.
Barra had previously been Vice President, Global Human Resources.
She has also served as GM Vice President, Global Manufacturing Engineering; Plant Manager, Detroit Hamtramck Assembly; Executive Director of Competitive Operations Engineering; and has held several engineering and staff positions.
In 1990, Barra graduated with a Masters in Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business after receiving a GM fellowship in 1988.
Barra began her career with GM in 1980 as a General Motors Institute (Kettering University) co-op student at the Pontiac Motor Division. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering.
She serves on the General Dynamics and Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute Board of Directors. Barra is also a member of the Kettering University Board of Trustees and is GM’s Key Executive for Stanford University and University of California-Berkeley.
Barra is married with two children and was born December 24, 1961.