Mary Barra Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here’s a look at the life of Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors.
Personal
Birth date: December 24, 1961
Birth place: Waterford, Michigan
Birth name: Mary Teresa Makela
Father: Ray Makela, factory worker at GM
Mother: Eva Makela
Marriage: Tony Barra
Children: Nicholas and Rachel
Education: General Motors Institute (now Kettering University), electrical engineering, 1985; Stanford, M.B.A, 1990
Other Facts
First female CEO of GM and the first woman to lead a US auto maker.
Timeline
1980 – Starts with GM as an 18-year-old intern.
1988 – GM awards her a fellowship to Stanford Business School.
1999-2001 – General director, Internal Communications, GM North America, General Motors Corporation.
2003 – Plant manager, Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant.
2004-2008 – Executive director, Vehicle Manufacturing Engineering.
2008-2009 – Vice president, Global Manufacturing Engineering.
2009-2011 – Vice president, Global Human Resources.
2011-2013 – Senior vice president of Global Product Development.
2013 – Is appointed executive vice president for Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply chain.
December 10, 2013 – Is named CEO of GM. Barra officially takes the position on January 15, 2014.
March 20, 2014 – Publishes an opinion piece in USA Today outlining a plan to address the recent GM recalls.
April 1, 2014 – Testifying before a US congressional subcommittee over GM’s delayed recall and vehicle malfunctions, Barra says, “Today’s GM will do the right thing. That begins with my sincere apologies to everyone who has been affected by this recall, especially the families and friends (of those) who lost their lives or were injured. I am deeply sorry.”
2016 – Is ranked #1 on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list.
April 2017 – A GM filing reveals that Barra’s total compensation in 2016 equaled $22.6 million, making her the highest paid auto CEO in the world.
August 24, 2017 – The Walt Disney Co. elects Barra to its board of directors.
September 15, 2019-October 25, 2019 – Works to bring the United Auto Workers union 40-day strike against GM to an end. The walkout, the largest by a union against a business since the last strike at GM in 2007, cost about $1.75 billion.
September 29, 2021 – CEO alliance Business Roundtable elects Barra as the chair, the first woman to serve in this role. Barra will serve a two-year term beginning in January 2022.
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