Manufacturing Magazine June 2023 | Page 21

Mary Barra is Chair and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors . She aims to advance the customer experience and embolden GM ’ s core vehicle and services business , in addition to leading the mobility evolution through advanced technologies such as electrification and autonomous driving .

GM founder William Durant set the company up in Flint , Michigan , US . He had a lot of drive and a great deal of ambition : in 1886 , he bought a horse cart company and , after some successful marketing at a local fair , received orders for more than 600 carts . 15 years later , the Durant- Dort Carriage Company had grown from a $ 2,000 investment to a USD $ 2m establishment and the largest vehicle manufacturer in the country . Durant became a millionaire by the age of 40 and was named the " King of Carriage Makers ", before going on to found GM in 1908 .
One century later , GM is leading the automotive industry in a world with ‘ Zero Crashes , Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion ’ – and CEO Mary Barra is at the helm .
From a co-op student to CEO at GM Barra started her career at GM back in 1980 as a General Motors Institute ( Kettering University ) co-op student at the Pontiac Motor Division . In 1985 , Barra graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and she completed a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business later in 1990 .
Barra took on several roles at GM on her way up to CEO . In 2011 , she became Senior Vice President , Global Product Development . In 2013 , Barra was promoted to GM ’ s Executive Vice President , Global Product Development , Purchasing and Supply Chain .
Barra is Chair of the Business Roundtable and an association of chief executive officers of America ’ s leading companies , as well as serving on the Board of Directors of the Walt Disney Company , the Duke University Board of Trustees and the Detroit Economic Club .

Barra once said GM needed to “ stop making crappy cars ”, so that ’ s what GM did . During its third quarter , GM delivered strong results – including record third-quarter revenue despite supply chain challenges . EXECUTIVE BIO

MARY BARRA
TITLE : CEO COMPANY : GENERAL MOTORS INDUSTRY : MANUFACTURING LOCATION : DETROIT
Mary Barra is the Chair and
Chief Executive Officer of General Motors . She arrived at the company in 1985 while studying at Kettering University . She became Vice President of 2008 and , in 2016 , earned the role of CEO . Barra is responsible for leading the Board of Directors , establishing General Motors ' strategic direction and managing the company ’ s dayto-day global operations , which stretch across 125 countries . Barra is dedicated to leading GM ‘ towards a future of zero crashes , zero emissions and zero congestion ’.
manufacturingdigital . com 21