# Mary Barra

> Mary Barra is the Detroit-based chair and CEO of General Motors, where she began as a co-op student in 1980. Trained in electrical engineering at General Motors Institute and business at Stanford, she rose through manufacturing, human resources and product development before becoming CEO in 2014 and chair in 2016. Her leadership combines a push for employee accountability with GM’s evolving investments in electrification, software and personal autonomous driving.

- **Role:** Chair and Chief Executive Officer at General Motors
- **Organizations:** General Motors, The Walt Disney Company, Business Roundtable, Duke University Board of Trustees, Detroit Economic Club
- **From:** Royal Oak, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, General Motors Institute (now Kettering University), Master of Business Administration; GM fellowship, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** First woman to lead a major global automaker when she became GM CEO in 2014., Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2018 for leadership in automotive manufacturing, product engineering and product development., Received the 2024 Ernest C. Arbuckle Award from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

## Career timeline

- **1980** — Joined Pontiac Motor Division as a General Motors Institute co-op student; began with assembly-line quality inspection.
- **1985** — Completed her electrical engineering degree; her first full-time position was as an electrical engineer.
- **1990** — Earned an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
- **2003** — Became plant manager at Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly.
- **2008** — Became vice president of Global Manufacturing Engineering.
- **2009** — Became vice president of Global Human Resources.
- **2011** — Became senior vice president of Global Product Development.
- **2013** — Became executive vice president of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain.
- **2014** — Became General Motors CEO in January, succeeding Dan Akerson.
- **2016** — Elected chair of the GM board.
- **2017** — Joined The Walt Disney Company board in August.
- **2024** — Received Stanford GSB’s Ernest C. Arbuckle Award; GM announced it would cease funding Cruise robotaxi development and focus on personal-vehicle autonomy.
- **2026** — Continued as GM chair and CEO; outlined product, software and personal-autonomy plans in the October 20 shareholder letter.

## Achievements

- First woman to lead a major global automaker when she became GM CEO in 2014.
- Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2018 for leadership in automotive manufacturing, product engineering and product development.
- Received the 2024 Ernest C. Arbuckle Award from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
- Progressed from co-op student to GM CEO through engineering, manufacturing, human resources and product-development roles.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — In her October 20 shareholder letter, outlined new pickup and SUV launches, expected 4-5x growth in Super Cruise penetration in the truck portfolio in 2027, and reiterated the planned 2028 Escalade IQ highway-autonomy introduction.
- **2026-08** — Published a LinkedIn essay on tackling problems promptly and taking ownership, reflecting on her first weeks as CEO.
- **2026-08** — Discussed her Detroit upbringing, factory experience, workforce training and innovation with Condoleezza Rice in an interview highlighted by GM on August 27.
- **2026-04** — GM reported one billion hands-free customer miles using Super Cruise, a driver-assistance system requiring driver attention.
- **2026-03** — GM announced supervised public-road testing of next-generation automated technology with trained test drivers.

## Links

- Website: https://www.gm.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-barra/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/mtbarra
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mtbarra

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mary-barra
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21