Chair & CEO
General Motors
Chair & CEO
General Motors
Mary Barra is Chair and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors. She was elected Chair of the GM Board of Directors in 2016 and has served as CEO of GM since 2014.
Under Barra’s leadership, GM envisions a world with zero crashes, to save lives; zero emissions, so future generations can inherit a healthier planet; and zero congestion, so customers get back a precious commodity – time.
She is focused on creating the best customer experience and strengthening GM’s core vehicle and services business, while also working to deliver transformative technologies such as electrification, autonomous driving and software.
Prior to becoming CEO, Barra served as GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, and as senior vice president, Global Product Development. In these roles, Barra and her teams were responsible for the design, engineering and quality of GM vehicle launches worldwide.
Previously, she served as vice president, Global Human Resources; vice president, Global Manufacturing Engineering; plant manager, Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly; and in several other executive engineering and staff positions.
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 in 1985, followed by a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1990.
Barra serves on the Board of Directors of the Walt Disney Company, the Duke University Board of Trustees and the Detroit Economic Club.
The DEC hosted Mary T. Barra, Chair & CEO of General Motors, on Thursday, May 23, at MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit. In an exclusive meeting for DEC members and accompanied guests, WDIV Local 4’s Rhonda Walker moderated the fireside chat to discuss GM’s strategic bets on the future and how the company is driving technology advancements and improving the customer experience with the potential to create a better world for all.
Sandy Pierce
Board Chair
Detroit Economic Club
Rhonda Walker
Reporter
WDIV-TV Local 4